Monday 23rd November 2009 (Series 61, Prelim 91)

[Howard Somerset]

Countdown recap for Monday 23 November 2009.

Apologies for the delay to the appearance of this recap.

C1: Champion Charlie Khoo (4 wins, 351 points.)
C2: Challenger Jennifer Bett.
DC: Susie Dent and David Lloyd.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Although I've not yet seen most of Charlie's first four games, I understand that he played well last week, and is a strong contender for the quarter finals in a few weeks' time. Indeed, one more win may be enough to see him there.

Charlie's fifth opponent is Jennifer from Edinburgh, currently studying for an accountancy degree and working as a financial co-ordinator for a charity. In her spare time she is in training for a black belt in some martial arts discipline.

Returning for a second spell in Dictionary Corner is the former cricketer David Lloyd. Much of the preamble today concerned where in Manchester you can go to get the best curries. I wonder why no mention was made of the place just along from the studios where some of us got kangaroo curry last week.

R01: F T R E A E L J I
R02: P R O M I E R O B
R03: L P S A O E T P I
R04: Y S T E O A G R P
R05: 25, 3, 5, 1, 8, 7. Target: 557.
TTT: OATCLICK - "Think of a prawn with a screwdriver."
R06: T S G E I E S T I
R07: W C F S E A E Y D
R08: L K A E T N D A U
R09: S N T O E I R W E
R10: 50, 1, 3, 9, 2, 7. Target: 409.
TTT: SPEEDLET - "Wipes out the creases in the skirt, perhaps."
R11: D N D Q A O I N R
R12: E O A M N B N U C
R13: D T N A E A S R C
R14: 75, 10, 1, 5, 9, 1. Target: 856.
R15: O W N O S T A M P (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: F T R E A E L J I

C1: RETAIL (6)
C2: LEAFIER (7)
DC: FERTILE (7)
OT: ATELIER (7) REFLATE (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)

A good start from Jennifer, going immediatly into a lead.

Round 2: P R O M I E R O B

C1: ROOMIER (7)
C2: ROOMIER (7)
DC: BOOMIER (7)
OT: BROOMIE (7)
Score: 7–14 (max 14)

Round 3: L P S A O E T P I

C1: TALIPES (7)
C2: TIPPLES (7)
DC: OPIATES (7)
OT: APPOSITE (8)
Score: 14–21 (max 22)

Charlie, as Jeff pointed out, would certainly know, being a medical student, that TALIPES is a term for club foot.

Round 4: Y S T E O A G R P

C1: PORTAGES (8)
C2: GROATS (6)
DC: POTAGERS (8)
Score: 22–21 (max 30)

Charlie makes a comeback, even taking the narrowest of leads.

Round 5: 25, 3, 5, 1, 8, 7. Target: 557.

C1: 557. (5 x 3 + 8 - 1) x 25 + 7 (10)
C2: 557. (5 x 3 + 8 - 1) x 25 + 7 (10)
Score: 32–31 (max 40)

And that lead continues into the first interval.

In the first of David Lloyd's spots this week, he entertained us with a shaggy dog story, which had nothing at all to do with cricket.

Teatime teaser: OATCLICK -> COCKTAIL

Round 6: T S G E I E S T I

C1: GITES (5)
C2: SIEGES (6)
DC: TESTES (6) EGESTS (6)
OT: SESTET (6) TSETSE (6) TESTIS (6)
Score: 32–37 (max 46)

Jeff sugested that TESTES were things that the WINDIES played. But judging by Susie's reaction, it seems that she clearly had something else on her mind. Maybe that subject has still to be covered in Charlie's course, as he missed it. And so Jennifer takes the lead once again.

Round 7: W C F S E A E Y D

C1: DEFACES (7)
C2: DEFACES (7)
Score: 39–44 (max 53)

Round 8: L K A E T N D A U

C1: TANKED (6)
C2: TANKED (6)
DC: ADULATE (7)
OT: ALKANET (7)
Score: 45–50 (max 60)

Round 9: S N T O E I R W E

C1: STONIER (7)
C2: STONIER (7)
OT: SEROTINE (8)
Score: 52–57 (max 68)

In honour of our DC guest, Susie started the week by giving us some derivations of a few words associated with sporting venues, including arena, stadium and pitch.

Round 10: 50, 1, 3, 9, 2, 7. Target: 409.

C1: 409. (7 + 1) x 50 + 9 (10)
C2: 409. (9 - 1) x 50 + (7 + 2) (10)
Score: 62–67 (max 78)

Still very close. Anybody's game as we approach the second interval.

Teatime teaser: SPEEDLET -> DEPLETES

Round 11: D N D Q A O I N R

C1: ORDAIN (6)
C2: ANDROID (7)
OT: ORDINAND (8)
Score: 62–74 (max 86)

Nice one from Jennifer gives her a more comfortable lead.

Round 12: E O A M N B N U C

C1: boneman
C2: BOUNCE (6)
DC: ACUMEN (6) BEACON (6) BEMOAN (6)
OT: NOUMENA (7)
Score: 62–80 (max 93)

And an unfortunate miss from Charlie puts him 18 points behind with only three rounds to play.

Round 13: D T N A E A S R C

C1: TRANCES (7)
C2: DANCERS (7)
DC: CATERANS (8)
Score: 69–87 (max 101)

Charlie now need both of the final rounds to save himself.

Round 14: 75, 10, 1, 5, 9, 1. Target: 856.

C1: 858.
C2: 856. (75 + 9 + 1) x 10 + 5 + 1 (10)
Score: 69–97 (max 111)

But it is Jennifer, and not Charlie, who gets the final numbers round, and with it the game.

Round 15: O W N O S T A M P

C1 buzzes on 3 seconds to say POSTWOMAN which is correct.
Score: 79–97 (max 121)

A game which was closer than the score going into the conundrum suggests, both players having the same raw score. Jennifer arranged it so that she won five rounds to Charlie's two. So Charlie's aim for a place in the series finals is dashed, and it's now up to Jennifer to see if she make that last place.

Six Darrens today. Not sure whether that's a record, or even if it comes close, but to me it seemed a high number. The contestants got one of them, DC another, and it was left to CountMax to find the remaining four.

Another odd note (don't know whether anyone else has picked up on this), yet another game with no V in the letters rounds. A quick scan of the Wiki recaps suggests that V hasn't appeared since October.

Statistics Corner:

Charlie:
Total score - 79
Raw score - 103
Total % of max - 65.3
Raw % of max - 85.1
Total average score per round - 5.3
Raw average score per round - 6.9
Number of maxes - 6

Jennifer:
Total score - 97
Raw score - 103
Total % of max - 80.2
Raw % of max - 85.1
Total average score per round - 6.5
Raw average score per round - 6.9
Number of maxes - 7


This was another recap brought to you by the old git, standing in at short notice for the young lad.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=61

[Dinos Sfyris]

Much of the preamble today concerned where in Manchester you can go to get the best curries. I wonder why no mention was made of the place just along from the studios where some of us got kangaroo curry last week.

I take it you enjoeyed it then?

[Howard Somerset]

Much of the preamble today concerned where in Manchester you can go to get the best curries. I wonder why no mention was made of the place just along from the studios where some of us got kangaroo curry last week.

I take it you enjoeyed it then?

The company was even better than the curry.

[Derek Hazell]

Much of the preamble today concerned where in Manchester you can go to get the best curries. I wonder why no mention was made of the place just along from the studios where some of us got kangaroo curry last week.

I take it you enjoeyed it then?

Kangaroo curries are just like normal curries, except that first you make a roux.