In the meantime, an all-Apterite battle is about to take place, so enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 23 February 2012.
C1: Champion Peter Lee (3 wins, 284 points.) An Apteforumite from Dublin. The cool meteorologist guy.
C2: Challenger Niall Seymour. An Apteforumite from Bristol, but currently studying quantity surveying at Nottingham Trent University (which is where Nick's son went to, apparently.
) He likes travelling and has been to the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.DC: Susie Dent and Ann Widdecombe.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: N S G R T E O A I
R02: N R D A O U T A A
R03: S W P H I E A R W
R04: M L L U E P I D S
R05: 75, 1, 9, 9, 8, 8. Target: 983.
TTT: OVALTREE - "Doesn't dance, but it takes to the floor"
R06: T S N O E O U T Z
R07: M D G T E A I S K
R08: A O E R Y L S A B
R09: D V M N E A E G C
R10: 50, 100, 25, 9, 6, 2. Target: 734.
TTT: PUBLATER - "You can't go to the pub later, you're not old enough!"
R11: V T R T O I E F E
R12: P C I U E O D H J
R13: C Q N S I O I L E
R14: 100, 6, 10, 3, 2, 4. Target: 624.
R15: H E B I L L S M E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: N S G R T E O A I
C1: ORGANISE (8)
C2: ANGRIEST (8)
DC: INGRATES (8) ORGANIST (8) RANGIEST (8)
OT: GANISTER (8) GANTRIES (8) GENITORS (8) GRANITES (8) NEGATORS (8) NOTARIES (8) NOTARISE (8) RAGSTONE (8) ROASTING (8) TASERING (8) TRIGONES (8)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
The super flat 8 round that we all know and love, so pancakes all round.
A GANISTER is a highly refractory, siliceous rock used to line furnaces.
A GENITOR is a parent, especially a father.
A RAGSTONE is a hard sandstone or limestone, especially when used for building.
A TRIGONE is the area on the floor of the urinary bladder between the opening of the urethra in front and the two ureters at the sides.
Round 2: N R D A O U T A A
C1: ROTUNDA (7)
C2: AROUND (6)
Score: 15–8 (max 15)
Peter has gone darrenic in round 2 to take the first lead of the day.
Round 3: S W P H I E A R W
C1: saphire
C2: saphire
DC: WHISPER (7)
OT: HARPIES (7) SEPHIRA (7) SHARPIE (7) WARSHIP (7) WASHIER (7) WHIPSAW (7)
Score: 15–8 (max 22)
Seven 7's here, but shockingly both contestants try for SAPPHIRE with the 1 P
Shame on you guys!!!In the speculations of esoteric Jewish mysticism (Kabbala),the SEPHIRA are any of the 10 emanations, or powers, by which God the Creator was said to become manifest.
A SHARPIE is a very alert person.
A WHIPSAW is any saw with a flexible blade, such as a bandsaw.
Round 4: M L L U E P I D S
C1: SPILLED (7)
C2: SPILLED (7)
DC: DIMPLES (7)
OT: ILLUDES (7) ILLUMED (7) ILLUMES (7) IMPULSE (7) PILULES (7) SLUMPED (7) SULLIED (7)
Score: 22–15 (max 29)
More pancakes, more flatness, more appropriate in the week of Pancake Day.
To ILLUDE is to deceive or trick.
To ILLUME is to illuminate.
A PILULE is a small pill, contrasted with bolus.
Round 5: 75, 1, 9, 9, 8, 8. Target: 983.
C1: -
C2: 975. ((8/ (9 - 8 + 1)) + 9) x 75 (5)
RR: 975. ((8/ (9 - 8 + 1)) + 9) x 75 (5)
OT: 981. ((75 - 9) x (8 + 8 - 1)) - 9 (7)
Score: 22–20 (max 36)
Pfff, what a stinker
It makes that 3 large one from yesterday seem like a walk in the park. But kudos to Niall and Rachel for getting within 10, but this is an impossible one. 
Ann talks about "the great outdoors" and the problems with doing a speech outside....
Teatime teaser: OVALTREE -> ELEVATOR
Round 6: T S N O E O U T Z
C1: TOSTONE (7)
C2: TOUTS (5)
DC: SNOOZE (6)
OT: TENUTOS (7)
Score: 29–20 (max 43)
Susie's French lesson turns Mexican after finding out what TOSTONE means.
Round 7: M D G T E A I S K
C1: MISTAKE (7)
C2: GAMIEST (7)
DC: MIDGETS (7)
OT: AGISTED (7) MISDATE (7) SIGMATE (7)
Score: 36–27 (max 50)
Half a dozen 7's on the block here. The gap is still at 9 though.
Round 8: A O E R Y L S A B
C1: BRESAOLA (8)
C2: RELAYS (6)
Score: 44–27 (max 58)
W-W-WOW!!! There was me being happy with SOLEBAR for 7, but Peter goes up in class with a supreme 8. Niall's going to have to come up with the goods in this last part now......
Round 9: D V M N E A E G C
C1: MENACED (7)
C2: CAVEMEN (7)
DC: VENDACE (7) ENDGAME (7) AVENGED (7)
OT: ENCAGED (7) MEDEVAC (7)
Score: 51–34 (max 65)
More flatness here. Niall needs a break somewhere along the way soon.......
A MEDEVAC is a helicopter for evacuating the wounded from a battlefield.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "shangri-la".
Round 10: 50, 100, 25, 9, 6, 2. Target: 734.
C1: 734. Mistake in working.
C2: 733. ((100 - 25) x 9) + 50 + 6 + 2 (7)
RR: 734. (6 x 100) + (2 x 50) + 25 + 9 (10)
Score: 51–41 (max 75)
Oooooh, the 3 large selection almost backfired on Niall, but instead Peter messes up his method and now the gap has gone down to 10.
An interesting final third now awaits us.
Teatime teaser: PUBLATER -> PUBERTAL
Round 11: V T R T O I E F E
C1: voterie
C2: VETOER (6)
DC: FITTER (6) FETTER (6)
OT: REVOTE (6) TITFER (6) TRIVET (6) VERITE (6)
Score: 51–47 (max 81)
Oh dear, Peter seems to be clutching at straws here with his very bizarre take on VOTARY. The gap is down to 4 now. Eeeeekkkkk!!!!!!!!!! This game is heading into nail-biting territory now.
A TITFER is slang for a hat.
VÉRITÉ is French for truthfulness.
Niall tries to bring a bit of humour to proceedings by asking Rachel for a whisky, rather than a consonant or vowel, but it unfortunately fails as Rachel doesn't cotton on immediately........
Round 12: P C I U E O D H J
C1: COPED (5)
C2: POUCHED (7)
DC: DOUCHE (6)
Score: 51–54 (max 88)
Well, maybe Peter has had a whisky (or should that be whiskEy
) or 2, because that's 3 rounds in a row without scoring and Niall out of nowhere has taken the lead Are we in for a mega giant-killing
Round 13: C Q N S I O I L E
C1: INCLOSE (7)
C2: INCLOSE (7)
DC: SILICONE (8) LIONISE (7)
OT: ISOCLINE (8)
Score: 58–61 (max 96)
Well, Peter has regained his scoring touch, but Niall is in the lead heading into the last numbers game. Will he do 3 large again
An ISOCLINE is a fold of strata so tightly compressed that both limbs dip in the same direction.
Round 14: 100, 6, 10, 3, 2, 4. Target: 624.
C1: 624. (100 + 4) x 6 (10)
C2: 624. (100 + 4) x 6 (10)
Score: 68–71 (max 106)
The simple answer is no, which brings up a well easy numbers, meaning we head into a crucial conundrum to decide the winner.
EXCITEMENT LEVELS: SUPER HIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Round 15: H E B I L L S M E
C1 buzzes on 1.5 seconds to say EMBELLISH which is correct.
Final Score: 78–71 (max 116)
But unfortunately for Niall, Peter is the conundrum king at the moment, and just about one of the last people to face in a crucial at the moment.
A fantastic match between 2 highly-skilled Apterites gave us a thrilling matchup and Niall, while probably disappointed at losing, should not feel downhearted at losing to Peter, who has proven himself yet again. Under pressure against a quality opponent, he came up with the goods at the end.
But if getting half-octochampdom status was hard, he's still got to try and win his octochamp status. He starts tomorrow by taking on another Apterite in Kieran Bray.
I'll be back next week with 2 more recaps.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Peter:
Total score - 78
Raw score - 83
Total % of max - 67
Raw % of max - 72
Total average score per round - 5.2
Raw average score per round - 5.5
Number of maxes - 9
Niall:
Total score - 71
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 61
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 4.7
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=66