Monday 4th July 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 21)

[Ryan Taylor]

Countdown recap for Monday 4 July 2011.

It is a historic day today because it is the 4th of July. This means only one thing...happy birthday Eoin Monaghan!

C1: Champion Gareth Lee (2 wins, 157 points.)
C2: Challenger Declan Hayes.
DC: Susie Dent and Robin Cousins.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: H V R I E A L G I
R02: Z U L E M T A S U
R03: L D L I E O T S I
R04: C M T A I E N G O
R05: 50, 8, 3, 5, 4, 9. Target: 810.
TTT: NOTCARRY - "It's quite the opposite said Mary Mary"
R06: Y S R I O P U M A
R07: V T G I A O L S U
R08: P D R O E G I H E
R09: T R M U A U S N E
R10: 75, 4, 6, 3, 4, 7. Target: 859.
TTT: SIDLOVES - "Sid loves you and won't do this to the partnership"
R11: S J C A O A O R E
R12: K N C I E A P D A
R13: E U E S P D R N B
R14: 25, 2, 5, 7, 8, 6. Target: 698.
R15: V E G A N I S E D (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Gareth Lee is the champ. He goes to Nottingham University so maybe we can mob him at CoNot or something. He is also the long lost twin of Charlie Reams although considerably less ginger and not as well spoken. He once spent a night in Mexico and Charlie once spent a night playing with Meccano.

Declan Hayes is the opposition and he is from County Kildare, Ireland and likes cycling. His favourite place in the world is South California, presumably because of all the poontang or something. Or maybe the weather? Declan wears black-rimmed square spectacles.

Robin Cousins is sat next to Susie. He won an Olympic gold medal at Lake Placid in 1980 which was the only one that Great Britain got that year. It isn't surprising that we do so shitly at the Winter Olympics when a little bit of snow sends the country into lockdown.

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: H V R I E A L G I

C1: GRAVEL (6)
C2: GLARE (5)
DC: VIRAL (5) GLAIVE (6)
OT: GIRLIE (6) HAILER (6) HALIER (6) HAVELI (6) HEGIRA (6) VERLIG (6) VIRGAE (6) VIRILE (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6)

Declan starts nervously although of the 6's that were available not many of them were common words.

In Slovakia there are apparently 100 HALIERs in one koruna whilst a HAVELI (coming from "enclosed space" in Persian) is a private house or mansion in India and Pakistan. HEGIRA is a Muslim word for a departure from somewhere. It is used for when Muhammad departed from Mecca to Medina in 622 BCE. And the best one of the lot is VIRGAE which is my new favourite word for the day. It is "a mass of streaks of rain appearing to hang under a cloud and evaporating before reaching the ground".

Round 2: Z U L E M T A S U

C1: LAMEST (6)
C2: MALTS (5)
DC: AMULETS (7)
OT: MULETAS (7) MUTUALS (7) MUTUELS (7) MUTULES (7) UMLAUTS (7)
Score: 12–0 (max 13)

Round 2 is a repeat of Round 1 meaning that Declan doesn't score. However DC do a little better by getting AMULETS (jewellery) for 7. Sadly, there are lots of other 7's and 3 of them mean nothing to me. So here comes some definitions for the second round in a row.

You may see a MULETA being used by a matador if you go to a bullfight as he uses it to guide the bull around. MUTUEL appears to be used in conjunction with pari-mutuel which is that system of betting on races where the winners like split the pot. I think I've heard of that before somewhere or something, it seems to ring a bell. And to save my fingers a MUTULE is an architectural term.

Phew, I hope every pissing round isn't going to be like this.

Round 3: L D L I E O T S I

C1: DISTILL (7)
C2: IDOLISE (7)
DC: IDIOTS (6) DOILIES (7) OILIEST (7)
OT: DILLIEST (8)
Score: 19–7 (max 21)

DISTILL^ is not disallowed by Susie despite being an incorrect spelling of DISTIL, so the score should be 12-7 really. Ironically DC get IDIOTS whilst for the 3rd round in a row I am left blank with what the solver chucks out. *deep breath* DILLIEST is an excellent example of a particular type of person. I can use it in a sentence for you: Ryan and Jesus Christ are dilly* but Ryan is dilliest**.

*silly
**silliest

Round 4: C M T A I E N G O

C1: MAGNETIC (8)
C2: TEAMING (7)
OT: GEOMANTIC (18)
Score: 27–7 (max 39)

Yeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy nine, wooooooooooooooooo. And again I'm left struggling to describe what it is. It relates to GEOMANCY which is divination by looking at lines and markings on the ground like patterns of soil and sand and stuff. I am not used to this volume of definitions in my recaps. I think next week I will just revert back to not putting any in at all. Much easier.

Round 5: 50, 8, 3, 5, 4, 9. Target: 810.

C1: 810. (5+4)*9*(50/(8-3)) (10)
C2: 809.
Score: 37–7 (max 49)

Nice little solution this from champ boy.

DC Guest Time: Robin unsurprisingly talks about the time he won that little bit of gold.

Teatime teaser: NOTCARRY -> CONTRARY

Round 6: Y S R I O P U M A

C1: RAMPS (5)
C2: MYOPIA (6)
DC: AMOURS (6)
OT: IMPROS (6) MAYORS (6) MORAYS (6) PRIMOS (6) PRIMUS (6) PURISM (6) PYURIA (6)
Score: 37–13 (max 55)

Declan manages to spot MYOPIA (cue an obvious joke from Jeffrey). And sod this. I'm going to define the words that I don't know with what I think they mean, or how I imagine them to be because I'm getting tired of looking them up. MORAYS describes somebody who has sunbathed longer than other people. PRIMOS is a flower related to the primrose whilst PRIMUS is the younger brother of Optimus Prime and PYURIA is when you have a wee after eating a pie. Happy.

Round 7: V T G I A O L S U

C1: VIOLAS (6)
C2: GALIOTS (7)
DC: OUTSAIL (7)
OT: AGOUTIS (7)
Score: 37–20 (max 62)

AGOUTIS. YESSS! I know what this means. It's a rodent!

Round 8: P D R O E G I H E

C1: PODGIER (7)
C2: GROPED (6)
Score: 44–20 (max 69)

Gareth loses all credibility that he ever had (if in deed he had any) by stooping to the "fat banter" with Jeff when announcing PODGIER. Oh that was hilarious, I almost split my rib.

Round 9: T R M U A U S N E

C1: MATURES (7)
C2: STAMEN (6)
DC: AUTUMNS (7) NATURES (7)
OT: MENSTRUA (8)
Score: 51–20 (max 77)

Declan doesn't look like making a comeback after he misses a pretty routine 7. Definitely looks like Gareth's game now.

Boozy Susie: derives the word DECIMATE and DRACONIAN. I'm pretty sure I've heard these before somewhere. Maybe she's done them before some time. She seems to like to repeat ones that she's already done. Then again, considering the majority of the viewing audience have problems with their memory then I guess she can get away with it.

Round 10: 75, 4, 6, 3, 4, 7. Target: 859.

C1: 858. (75+3)*(7+4) (7)
C2: 858. Mistake in working.
RR: 859. (75-4)*4*3+7 (10)
Score: 58–20 (max 87)

And Declan looks like he tries to fudge this numbers game but sadly fails under the pressure leaving Gareth only to extend his lead further. Rachel earns her buck.

Teatime teaser: SIDLOVES -> DISSOLVE

Round 11: S J C A O A O R E

C1: CARES (5)
C2: SCORE (5)
DC: ACRES (5) ROSACEA (7)
Score: 63–25 (max 94)

DC red-face the contestant's fives with this 7.

Round 12: K N C I E A P D A

C1: PANICKED (8)
C2: PANICKED (8)
DC: ICE (3) DANCE (5)
OT: PANCAKED (8)
Score: 71–33 (max 102)

Yep. Jumped out at me too. And probably you too.

Round 13: E U E S P D R N B

C1: SPURNED (7)
C2: SPURNED (7)
DC: BURPEES (7)
OT: PREBENDS (8)
Score: 78–40 (max 110)

Susie gets all excited over BURPEES which are them horrible bloody exercises that everyone cheats at when they do them by not doing them properly.

Round 14: 25, 2, 5, 7, 8, 6. Target: 698.

C1: 697. (6-2)*7*25-(8-5) (7)
C2: 699. (6*5-2)*25-(8-7) (7)
RR: 698. (25*5-7)*6-8-2 (10)
Score: 85–47 (max 120)

Time once more for Rachel to do her thang.

Round 15: V E G A N I S E D

C1 buzzes on 4 seconds to say NO which is incorrect.
C2 buzzes on 26 seconds to say EVADINGS which is incorrect.
The answer was ENVISAGED.
Final Score: 85–47 (max 130)

Just time for some poor conundrum buzzing before a member of the wonderful audience collects his mug on TV.

So Gareth sails through this one as unfortunately Declan cannot transfer his apterous talents to apterous TV and since I guess it is the 4th of July, then I'll leave you with the words of the American, Walter Cronkite. And that's the way it is.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65

[Thomas Carey]

Will Declan get another shot because DISTILL* was allowed, or will they not bother because he would have lost anyway?

[James Robinson]

Will Declan get another shot because DISTILL* was allowed, or will they not bother because he would have lost anyway?

Probably, Option 2.

[dhayes73]

Option 2, I was nowhere near Garret in that game. No complaints from me

[Ryan Taylor]

Will Declan get another shot because DISTILL* was allowed, or will they not bother because he would have lost anyway?

Probably, Option 2.

I would argue that since Declan would have moved to within 5 points (yes I know it's only round 3) this would have settled him down and he could have gone on to spot some words that he may have missed due to feeling a bit pressured and panicky that he was 12 points behind instead. I know this is a long shot but little things can change games. What is frustrating is perhaps the frequency at which errors seem to be creeping in. It seems to be on the rise? Or am I just being a dick as usual?

Edit: OK now that Declan has just posted option 2 I look like a bit of a mug!

[Steve Balog]

DISTILL is the American spelling. That's one of the few English spellings I'm not used to in games yet -- one l vs. two l's.

[dhayes73]

Hi Ryan,

No need to feel like a mug, I get what you are saying about the scores being a bit closer early on, but not sure anything could have eased my nerves while filming, I was more nervous than a long-tailed dog in a room full of rocking chairs. I am surprised that a word did get through that shouldn't have though.

It was an experience that I kinda enjoyed and glad I gave it a go but its much easier playing the game from the comfort of my home.

[Thomas Carey]

I would argue that since Declan would have moved to within 5 points (yes I know it's only round 3) this would have settled him down and he could have gone on to spot some words that he may have missed due to feeling a bit pressured and panicky that he was 12 points behind instead. I know this is a long shot but little things can change games.

A bit like the England-Germany game last world cup?