Easter Bunny here - before today's recap I should like to get some nerdy stats off my chest after yesterday's thrilling 105-95 win by Mary Adie over Barbara Grice:
It was the first time Jeff was the only man on camera - he hasn't ever before shared the set with 5 other women.
105 was the highest score from a female since Jacqueline Baker scored 112 almost 2 years ago in the opening episode of series 61.
95 was the highest losing score so far this series - and the highest losing score since our own Innis Carson scored 97 in "that" semi-final, also in series 61.
You also have to go back as far as the following game in series 61 (ie- the final) to find a higher aggregate score - Chris Davies beating Andrew Hulme 117-86 (aggregate 203).
And it was the highest aggregate score EVER by two women. Impressive stuff indeed - if today's show is half as good as yesterday's we're in for a treat...
C1: Champion Mary Adie (2 wins, 181 points.) Retired bank worker and Glaswegian Mary has notched up 2 fine wins so far - she's a keen traveller and would like to visit Canada and New Zealand (in that order).
C2: Challenger Aidan Casey. Hailing from Clonmel in Co Tipperary, Aidan is a retail assistant (so Jeff reckons) with a masters degree in bioinformatics but he tells us he is currently unemployed - eh? I thought you were a retail assistant? Anyway... his claim to fame is that his voice can be heard on the limited edition box set of TV series Lost.
DC: Susie Dent and Carol Smillie.
RR: Rachel Riley.
JS: Jeff Stelling.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: M S L G U A O R E
R02: H D R U A I S G E
R03: P M S N L A E I R
R04: S N T U E A N Y I
R05: 100, 6, 6, 7, 3, 10. Target: 227.
TTT: ONEACTED - "One acted out this rather amusing story"
R06: M R L O A I G L T
R07: D V C R S E O E D
R08: W U R J R A C E T
R09: X H N K G O E I W
R10: 100, 3, 2, 10, 1, 5. Target: 329.
TTT: CRABHOLE - "This sort of boy has his own pad"
R11: S M P R L A E O T
R12: P Z F A O A S P E
R13: T S D Q N E O I E
R14: 100, 75, 25, 50, 3, 6. Target: 335.
R15: G I N O S P I G S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: M S L G U A O R E
C1: GLAMOUR (7)
C2: GALORE (6)
OT: GAOLERS (7) MAULERS (7) MORGUES (7) MORULAE (7) REGULOS (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
7's aplenty, of which Mary finds one.
MORULAE are solid balls of cells resulting from cleavage of a fertilized ovum.
REGULOS are any of a number of temperatures to which a gas oven may be set.
Round 2: H D R U A I S G E
C1: SHADIER (7)
C2: ARGUED (6)
DC: SUGARED (7) GUIDERS (7)
OT: DISHRAG (7) GAUDIER (7) GAUDIES (7) GUSHIER (7) HEGIRAS (7) RESIDUA (7)
Score: 14–0 (max 14)
Even more 7's to choose from this time, again our champion finds one while Aidan is still stuck on 6.
GAUDIES are feasts, especially annual university dinners.
HEGIRAS are flights or escapes to safety.
Round 3: P M S N L A E I R
C1: PRALINES (8)
C2: plainers
DC: IMPANELS (8) MANIPLES (8)
OT: IMPALERS (8) LAMPERNS (8) LEMPIRAS (8) MINERALS (8) PALMIERS (8)
Score: 22–0 (max 22)
The first 3 letters raise a giggle from Mary here but she's not put off as she spots one of several 8's. Aidan tries for an 8 himself but it proves too risky.
LAMPERNS (more commonly known as LAMPREYS) are any of various primitive elongated freshwater or anadromous fishes of the family Petromyzontidae, characteristically having a jawless sucking mouth with rasping teeth.
LEMPIRAS are the standard monetary unit of Honduras, divided into 100 centavos.
Round 4: S N T U E A N Y I
C1: UNITES (6)
C2: TUNES (5)
JS: SUNTAN (6)
DC: ANNUITY (7)
OT: AUNTIES (7) SINUATE (7) TANNIES (7) TUNNIES (7)
Score: 28–0 (max 29)
Again several 7's on offer but Mary is happy enough with her 6 because it's yet another beater. No points yet for Aidan
In South Africa TANNIES are titles of respect used to refer to an elderly woman.
TUNNY (or the plural TUNNIES here) is another name for tuna which is a new one to me.
Round 5: 100, 6, 6, 7, 3, 10. Target: 227.
C1: 216.
C2: 227. ((3 x 100) - ((6 x 10) + (7 + 6))) (10)
Score: 28–10 (max 39)
Ah that's more like it Aidan - a well worked out method puts some points on the board at last.
Carol Smillie is in Dictionary Corner this week and today she remembers how she basically cheated at a Mensa IQ test and hasn't been able to shake off the memory of it since - personally I can't shake off the memory of her almost wearing a dress on Strictly Come Dancing....
Teatime teaser: ONEACTED -> ANECDOTE
Round 6: M R L O A I G L T
C1: TAILOR (6)
C2: TRAIL (5)
DC: MAILLOT (7)
OT: GALLIOT (7) GORILLA (7)
Score: 34–10 (max 46)
Some more 7's to choose from but again Mary's letters prove too good again for Aidan.
A MAILLOT is a pair of tights or a leotard of such fabric, worn for ballet or gymnastics.
A GALLIOT (more commonly GALIOT) is a light, swift galley formerly used in the Mediterranean.
Round 7: D V C R S E O E D
C1: COVERED (7)
C2: coverse
DC: DECODERS (8)
Score: 41–10 (max 54)
Mary's letters prowess forces Aidan into declaring a made up word.
Round 8: W U R J R A C E T
C1: WATER (5)
C2: curater
DC: CURATE (6)
OT: CARTER (6) CRATER (6) CRATUR (6) CURARE (6) CURTER (6) TRACER (6)
Score: 46–10 (max 60)
Mary's letters prowess forces Aidan into declaring a made up word (again), to be fair it's not made up, just spelt incorrectly.
CRATUR means whiskey.
CURARE is a dark resinous extract obtained from several tropical American woody plants, especially Chondrodendron tomentosum or certain species of Strychnos, used as an arrow poison by some Indian peoples of South America.
Round 9: X H N K G O E I W
C1: WHINE (5)
C2: HEXING (6)
DC: HOEING (6)
OT: HOWKING (7)
Score: 46–16 (max 67)
But that's a turn up for the books - Aidan scores his first points in a letters round while Mary can only see a 5 (she could have added that G for WHINGE though - doh!)
The first darren of the game goes unspotted though, HOWKING is a Scottish term for digging (up or out).
Round 10: 100, 3, 2, 10, 1, 5. Target: 329.
C1: 329. ((100 + 10) x 3) - 1 (10)
C2: 329. ((100 + 10) x 3) - 1 (10)
Score: 56–26 (max 77)
Easy.
Teatime teaser: CRABHOLE -> BACHELOR
Round 11: S M P R L A E O T
C1: SAMPLER (7)
C2: STREAM (6)
DC: TEMPORAL (8)
OT: PETROSAL (8) TRAMPLES (8)
Score: 63–26 (max 85)
Mary is again just one off the max word here but again it's good enough to steal the points.
Round 12: P Z F A O A S P E
C1: POPES (5)
C2: POPES (5)
DC: APPOSE (6)
Score: 68–31 (max 91)
This time DC do spot the darren while the contestants are happy with their 5's - the first letters round where both have collected points. Aidan can still win this game by getting a 9 letter word in the next round, and steal the numbers and conundrum.
Round 13: T S D Q N E O I E
C1: DENOTES (7)
C2: DENOTES (7)
DC: DESTINE (7)
OT: ENDITES (7)
Score: 75–38 (max 98)
And if that Q had been a C (SECTIONED), K (TOKENISED), L (DELETIONS), M (MOISTENED/MONETISED), N (TENSIONED) or an R (DESERTION) then he might have been in with a chance - unfortunately it was a shitty Q
... still, they both spot the same max word (Aidan's first letters max - yay!)Round 14: 100, 75, 25, 50, 3, 6. Target: 335.
C1: 331.
C2: 337. ((3 x 75) + 100) + ((50 / 25) x 6)) (7)
RR: 335. ((100 - (75 / 25)) x 3) - 6 + 50 (10)
Score: 75–45 (max 108)
Aidan's number really haven't been too shoddy at all but his letters were his undoing today - Rachel clears up nicely to hit the target on the nose.
Round 15: G I N O S P I G S
C1 buzzes on 1 second to say GOSSIPING which is correct.
Final Score: 85–45 (max 118)
Mary swoops in with lightning speed to round off another solid performance - and with an average of around 89pts per show, if she carries on in this fashion, she would end up as the #3 seed provided she won another 5 games - she's certainly shown she's good enough to do that. We shall see...
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64