Countdown recap for Tuesday 8 February 2011.
Before the main event Jeff wonders if in today's ever-changing world the latest gadgets are really necessary suggesting for example that cordless battery free hair dryers were called towels in his day - you get the idea.
C1: Champion Edward McCullagh (4 wins, 440 points.) Edward is the Apto big-hitter bidding for octochampdon and appears today for a 5th time - Edward is from Newry in Co Down and works as a customer service rep for an airline company. If he could invite anyone to dinner it would be not one but two people - firstly Fernando Torres (one assumes Edward has forgiven the traitor already!) and not because he's a great footballer but because he's a great chef we learn. Secondly Edward would like to invite Megan Fox... we don't necessarily learn if Megan is great in the kitchen but one suspects she's great in any room.
C2: Challenger Harold Sanditen. Jeff jokes that he and Harold are kindred spirits as Harold is also a singer. Born in the US, but residing in the UK for the past 23 years (you wouldn't know it from the accent), Harold performed his first solo show 3 years ago in New York and has even released a CD of his work - see http://www.haroldsanditen.com for more details! As well as treading the boards Harold has been a theatre producer and has worked alongside the likes of Felicity Kendal and Frances de la Tour.
DC: Susie Dent and Martin Lewis.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: F Q E S S O I R N
R02: C E D I O K N A T
R03: E M S I G R E L Z
R04: L P I A N O G E T
R05: 9, 5, 10, 8, 6, 4. Target: 388.
TTT: CARLYHAD - "Carly had a job as a house cleaner"
R06: L F B O A I N D A
R07: I D P H N E I P T
R08: N U W A D L E I N
R09: E D W A D R E M R
R10: 75, 4, 8, 5, 5, 3. Target: 538.
TTT: NAGRELIC - "Tidying away before finding not guilty"
R11: A X R L E A M S T
R12: R O S T E Y A M T
R13: S G E O T R O P N
R14: 75, 1, 9, 8, 5, 8. Target: 734.
R15: C A T A T R I U M (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: F Q E S S O I R N
C1: SENIORS (7)
C2: FRISSON (7)
DC: QI (cheers for that Martin!)
OT: SONSIER (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
Strong start from both players here as both spot different max words. Susie coos over Harold's "beautiful word".
Round 2: C E D I O K N A T
C1: ACTIONED (8)
C2: DOCKET (6)
DC: CATENOID (8)
Score: 15–7 (max 15)
And Edward moves into an early lead already with another max spot equalled in DC by CATENOID which is a mathematical term, the geometrical surface generated by rotating a catenary about its axis (it says here).
Round 3: E M S I G R E L Z
C1: EMIGRES (7)
C2: -
DC: REGIMES (7)
OT: REMIGES (7)
Score: 22–7 (max 22)
Edward spots one of the max words here which is virtually spelt out, however Harold misdeclares his "7" by announcing he has used the I twice but we don't get to hear what word he might have offered - SMILIER perhaps? REMIGES are long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped flight feathers on the wings of a bird.
Round 4: L P I A N O G E T
C1: LEGATION (8)
C2: ELATION (7)
DC: PLEATING (8) GELATION (8)
OT: PILOTAGE (8) PINOTAGE (8)
Score: 30–7 (max 30)
Edward is on a roll now with a 4th consecutive max.
PINOTAGE is a red grape variety of South Africa, a cross between the Pinot Noir and the Hermitage, and can also be the name of any red wine made from this grape.
Round 5: 9, 5, 10, 8, 6, 4. Target: 388.
C1: 388. ((6 x 5) + 9) x 10 - 2 (10)
C2: 390.
Score: 40–7 (max 40)
One fears for Harold here as Edward stretches out to a 33pt lead with yet more maximum points.
Martin Lewis's own financial teatime teaser asks what APR would be the equivalent of a £20 loan against a £3 pint (or something, my mind does wander when people talk finance)
Option A) 15%
Option B) 150%
Option C) 1,500%
Option D) 150,000%
Jeff and Susie plump for option C while Rachel goes with option A (I don't think she was really listening - I know I wasn't!) but the answer is in fact option D and Martin goes on to explain that APR is the annual percentage rate and demands financial education in schools - well done if you managed to read that last bit without nodding off!
Teatime teaser: CARLYHAD -> CHARLADY
Round 6: L F B O A I N D A
C1: DOLINA (6)
C2: BLOND (5)
DC: ALBINO (6)
OT: BALAFON (7)
Score: 46–7 (max 47)
More daylight is opened with Edward spotting the marvellous DOLINA which in geology is a shallow usually funnel-shaped depression of the ground surface formed by solution in limestone regions. However, the max game is off as the glorious sounding BALAFON goes missed by all including DC. A BALAFON is a resonated frame, wooden keyed percussion idiophone of West Africa.
Round 7: I D P H N E I P T
C1: PITIED (6)
C2: HINTED (6)
DC: TIPPED (6) NIPPED (6)
OT: HIPPED (6) HIPPIE (6) INDITE (6) PITHED (6) TIEPIN (6)
Score: 52–13 (max 53)
After failing to score for the previous 5 rounds, Harold gets back on the scoresheet with one of several 6's on offer...
Round 8: N U W A D L E I N
C1: UNIDEAL (7)
C2: DENIAL (6)
DC: UNLADEN (7)
OT: ANNELID (7) LINDANE (7) UNLINED (7)
Score: 59–13 (max 60)
...but I'm afraid it stagnates again for Harold as Edward spots the unusual sounding UNIDEAL.
Round 9: E D W A D R E M R
C1: REWARDED (8)
C2: REWARDED (8)
Score: 67–21 (max 68)
You were hoping it as well weren't you? Edward almost spells out his own name to much laughter from the studio and audience alike - both contestants are rewarded with maximum points with their darrenic spot.
Susie's Origin Of Words refers to the beginnings of the term "oaf" which in past centuries described a child who was ugly or slow but in popular legend the oaf was the child of an elf left in the cradle by fairies who would steal a perfect child and leave the oaf behind. Only in the 19th Century did it take on the large and clumsy person meaning that we know today - usually a man (sexist!)
Round 10: 75, 4, 8, 5, 5, 3. Target: 538.
C1: 538. (4 + 3) x 75 + 5 + 8 (10)
C2: 537.
Score: 77–21 (max 78)
The McCullagh Steamroller really puts this game to bed with another maximum 10pts.
Teatime teaser: NAGRELIC -> CLEARING
Round 11: A X R L E A M S T
C1: TAMALES (7)
C2: smalter
DC: MALATES (7)
OT: ARMLETS (7) MALTASE (7)
Score: 84–21 (max 85)
Harold attempts what is to be declared an invalid word while Edward finds the beautiful TAMALES which are a traditional Latin American dish made of dough which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper, often filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, chillies etc.
Round 12: R O S T E Y A M T
C1: ROTATES (7)
C2: MASTERY (7)
DC: SMATTER (7)
OT: MAESTRO (7) MATTERS (7) TOASTER (7) STOMATE (7) YATTERS (7)
Score: 91–28 (max 92)
Several 7's available here and our champ and challenger both score.
Round 13: S G E O T R O P N
C1: GENTOOS (7)
C2: POSTER (6)
DC: POORTS (6)
OT: OPERONS (7) SNOOPER (7) SPOONER (7) OROGENS (7) POOREST (7) POSTERN (7) PROTONS (7) SPONGER (7) TROGONS (7)
Score: 98–28 (max 99)
Even more 7's available this time but Harold can only muster a 6 while Edward stretches out to a 70pt lead.
In genetics, OPERONS are functioning units of genomic material containing a cluster of genes under the control of a single regulatory signal or promoter (apparently), while OROGENS are a response to forces and events leading to a severe structural deformation of the Earth's crust due to the engagement of tectonic plates. I'm learning a lot today!
Round 14: 75, 1, 9, 8, 5, 8. Target: 734.
C1: 734. 75 x (9 + 1) - (8 + 8) (10)
C2: 734. 75 x (9 + 1) - (8 + 8) (10)
Score: 108–38 (max 109)
A straightforward final numbers game gives both players 10pts and takes Edward over the century barrier for the 4th time.
Round 15: C A T A T R I U M
C1 buzzes on 5 seconds to say TRAUMATIC which is correct.
Final Score: 118–38 (max 119)
And that rounds off another mesmeric display from Edward who dropped just 1pt today, 118pts without a 9 letter word is pretty amazing and this takes his total up to 558pts and it doesn't take a genius to work out that on this kind of form Adam Gillard's 903pt 8-game tally is under threat. Can anyone stop him? Find out tomorrow when normal service is resumed in Recapland with Robbo.
Bye for now
(damn I swore I wasn't going to use an emoticon!)Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64
