c4countdown

So, the champion merry-go-round is now into overdrive, as we now have our 3rd different occupant of the champions' chair in the shape of Mark Gavin.

Can he emulate the past success of his fellow Ulstermen, Eoin Monaghan and Edward McCullagh, or will he just be on the first plane/boat back after today

Join me for the 2nd Robinson Recap of the week later on. I would do the smilies, but after the last few shows, I certainly can't guarantee quality today.

James Robinson wrote:

Didn't have you down as a pessimist

Adam Gillard wrote:

James Robinson wrote:

Didn't have you down as a pessimist

I'm not normally, especially with matters, Huddersfield Town, etc, but since Andy left, the show has had a few "bumps in the road", shall we say (obviously, I'm not expecting it to be brilliant all the time, but there's normally someone of good-ish quality on the show), and I'm not aware of any knight in shining armour coming over the horizon, so I'm feeling worried.

CAN WE JUST SKIP TO THE FINALS, PLEASE

Quality's been ok so far.

I'm very amused by Mark's idiosyncrasies!

Was that Neil Zussman?

Neil Zussman (S60 semi-finalist) got the conundrum!

Innis Carson wrote:Was that Neil Zussman?

Yeah.

Good game that.

Innis Carson wrote:Was that Neil Zussman?

Yep! The only apterite I know in real life (excepting Phil Makepeace, who I might have spoke to once but I'm not sure).

Martin Gardner wrote:Quality's been ok so far.

To some extent due to poor letters games and very easy numbers game. Though I didn't get that conundrum.

I was surprised that Susie made the common mistake of saying that AKIMBO means with limbs sprawled out

Peter Mabey wrote:I was surprised that Susie made the common mistake of saying that AKIMBO means with limbs sprawled out

I've just checked the definition in ODE3, and I don't see how this is a mistake. Seems fine to me.

I do get irritated when the hosts put pressure on people with a maths degree, or similar, in the numbers rounds.

Maths and arithmetic, certainly mental arithmetic, are quite different. I know because I am married to someone who breezed maths at every level and has a degree in it, yet who is no better then average on arithmetic. I am exactly the opposite - generally strong on sums, but only just scraped through maths O level (mind you, doing some work might have helped....)

Yes, many mathmeticians DO have the facility to do both, but it doesn't follow in the very simple soundbite way that Jeff (and Richard before him) implies.

Are people studying English excpected to be able to spot every word in the dictionary?

Well that was definitely a vastly improved game today. I only just about won today. Some spots too, like IRRITANT.

Definitely feeling much more optimistic now.

Innis Carson wrote:Was that Neil Zussman?

Nice to be recognised, thanks.
I'd been hoping to see James Hall, but that didn't happen for obvious reasons. Still, I got 5 seconds of fame and a Countdown mug, which some would say is better. Sorry James.

Adam Gillard wrote:

Peter Mabey wrote:I was surprised that Susie made the common mistake of saying that AKIMBO means with limbs sprawled out

I've just checked the definition in ODE3, and I don't see how this is a mistake. Seems fine to me.

I'm even more surprised to find that the wrong meaning has become so frequently used that it's been put into the ODE, especially as the latest edition (March 2011) of the online big OED doesn't record it at all.

As 'arms akimbo' describes the pose with elbows out and hands on hips, whenever I see the often-used expression 'legs akimbo' it suggests to me 'knees out and feet on shoulders'

Peter Mabey wrote:

Adam Gillard wrote:

Peter Mabey wrote:I was surprised that Susie made the common mistake of saying that AKIMBO means with limbs sprawled out

I've just checked the definition in ODE3, and I don't see how this is a mistake. Seems fine to me.

I'm even more surprised to find that the wrong meaning has become so frequently used that it's been put into the ODE, especially as the latest edition (March 2011) of the online big OED doesn't record it at all.

As 'arms akimbo' describes the pose with elbows out and hands on hips, whenever I see the often-used expression 'legs akimbo' it suggests to me 'knees out and feet on shoulders'

It lists that pose as the primary definition, but then has a secondary definition of [limbs] akimbo, which is the sprawled all over the place thing.