c4countdown

So, another January has passed and brought with it the ninth annual Countdown in Lincoln. I'm humbled each year by the sheer number of people willing to travel through the cold and the snow/rain/whatever it happens to be doing at the time to play a letters and numbers game in a small hall in deepest, darkest Lincolnshire, the official geographical middle of nowhere. This year, 41 people showed up, which sadly meant Apterous Prune had to be propped up at a desk to snooze its way through the afternoon. I'd have loved to have played myself but administering the event- especially with the number of players we had- just wouldn't have made that feasible. Still though, 41 players meant plenty of goodies to give out, which were given out as follows-

The Tuff Luck prize, given to the player who lost 3 or more games by the narrowest possible margin, went to STEWART GORDON, whose 3 narrowest losses were by a combined spread of just elevenpoints. Tuff indeed!

16 nine-letter words were spotted during the day, and the 'niner' shield was won by DAN MCCOLM (Can't remember what the word was, sorry). If there's enough demand I'm quite happy to instate it again for next year.

Special badges featuring a bastardised quote from the movie 300 were made up to be given to anyone who achieved a total points score of 300 or more during the day. That's basically the entire top 22 you see on the table below.

The 'conundrum god' badges also returned for anyone who spotted 5 or more conundrums during the day (excluding sudden death conundrums). Nobody managed all 6 but 4 people managed 5- ANDY PLATT, GRAEME COLE, MARK DEEKS & KIRK BEVINS.

Now, onto the prizes themselves. Two 'overachiever' prizes were given out on the day to the players who finished highest above their seeding. The first, for the player who finished 14 points ahead of seeding, went to ANDY PLATT, and the second went to JOSEPH KROL for a whopping 16-point increase on his seeding.

Prizes were, as ever, given to the top 5, though in a neat twist, this year there was no player in 5th, but rather two players in joint 4th on 5 wins and 373 points (which would've been enough to win COLIN in years gone by)- the aforementioned ANDY PLATT and MATT BAYFIELD.

3rd place, and free entry into COLIN 2014, went to ED MCCULLAGH on 5 wins and 383 points- just narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

2nd place in the standings went to the 2010 and 2011 winner KIRK BEVINS, who'd literally only entered the night before. He would face the 1st place player, magnificent MARK DEEKS, who'd gone the whole day unbeaten and accrued 395 points- a new COLIN record. However, as we discovered last year, it's the result in the final that would count. A full recap will be along later, hopefully done by the game's capable host James Robinson. Needless to say, both players will get free entry into COLIN 2014, but who would be walking away with (and breaking) the winner's trophy? After a tense nailbiter of a match, I can exclusively reveal that getting his name on the COLIN spoon for the first time was Mr. MARK DEEKS!

Congratulations to all winners on the day and well done to all who played.

Full results
A * indicates the game went to a sudden-death conundrum.

Round 1

Table 1
Jon Corby 53 - 48 Tracey Mills
Matt Bayfield 69 - 62 Jon Corby
Tracey Mills 46 - 79 Matt Bayfield

Table 2
Chris Marshall 39 - 47 Rob Foster
Conor Travers 56 - 21 Chris Marshall
Rob Foster 43 - 73 Conor Travers

Table 3
Kirk Bevins 70 - 17 Paul Worsley
Paul Worsley 34 - 61 Ryan Taylor
Ryan Taylor 44 - 61 Kirk Bevins

Table 4
Andy Platt 67 - 64 Dan McColm
Dan McColm 56 - 50 Stewart Gordon
Stewart Gordon 40 - 67 Andy Platt

Table 5
Andy McGurn 27 - 62 Jack Worsley
Jack Worsley 66 - 37 Phil Collinge
Phil Collinge 42 - 58 Andy McGurn

Table 6
Dylan Taylor 59 - 0 Apterous Prune
Jennifer Steadman 58 - 56 Dylan Taylor
Apterous Prune 0 - 52 Jennifer Steadman

Table 7
Ed McCullagh 57 - 26 Matt Morrison
Heather Styles 53 - 69 Ed McCullagh
Matt Morrison 57 - 34 Heather Styles

Table 8
Joseph Krol 58 - 36 Zarte Siempre
Thomas Cappleman 63 - 48 Joseph Krol
Zarte Siempre 80* - 70 Thomas Cappleman

Table 9
Lauren Hamer 33 - 52 Mark Deeks
Mark Deeks 67 - 37 Gevin Chapwell
Gevin Chapwell 43 - 52 Lauren Hamer

Table 10
Dave Coulthurst 33 - 54 Michelle Nevitt
James Robinson 70 - 35 Dave Coulthurst
Michelle Nevitt 40 - 57 James Robinson

Table 11
Dinos Sfyris 68 - 48 Lee Fisher
Lee Fisher 39 - 70 Thomas Carey
Thomas Carey 34 - 57 Dinos Sfyris

Table 12
Amie Bateen 26 - 65 Mark Tournoff
Keith Walton 40 - 66 Amie Bateen
Mark Tournoff 67 - 21 Keith Walton

Table 13
Jon O'Neill 44 - 38 Supee Juachan
Rose Boyle 33 - 69 Jon O'Neill
Supee Juachan 35 - 45 Rose Boyle

Table 14
Graeme Cole 72 - 10 Rekha Prasad
Jayne Wisniewski 34 - 68 Graeme Cole
Rekha Prasad 10 - 55 Jayne Wisniewski

Round 2

Table 1
Jack Worsley 66 - 56 Jon O'Neill
James Robinson 36 - 63 Jack Worsley
Jon O'Neill 50 - 42 James Robinson

Table 2
Dinos Sfyris 51 - 69 Mark Deeks
Mark Deeks 83 - 47 Mark Tournoff
Mark Tournoff 60 - 42 Dinos Sfyris

Table 3
Andy Platt 71 - 53 Matt Bayfield
Conor Travers 54 - 39 Andy Platt
Matt Bayfield 60 - 51 Conor Travers

Table 4
Ed McCullagh 63 - 29 Jennifer Steadman
Graeme Cole 41 - 68 Ed McCullagh
Jennifer Steadman 60 - 50 Graeme Cole

Table 5
Kirk Bevins 44 - 57 Rose Boyle
Matt Morrison 28 - 64 Kirk Bevins
Rose Boyle 51 - 61 Matt Morrison

Table 6
Dan McColm 67 - 27 Lauren Hamer
Jon Corby 56 - 53 Dan McColm
Lauren Hamer 41 - 61 Jon Corby

Table 7
Andy McGurn 37 - 46 Michelle Nevitt
Michelle Nevitt 46 - 55 Rob Foster
Rob Foster 59 - 62 Andy McGurn

Table 8
Amie Bateen 51 - 56 Ryan Taylor
Ryan Taylor 52 - 60 Zarte Siempre
Zarte Siempre 52 - 46 Amie Bateen

Table 9
Jayne Wisniewski 50 - 43 Joseph Krol
Joseph Krol 46 - 47 Thomas Carey
Thomas Carey 53 - 58 Jayne Wisniewski

Table 10
Dylan Taylor 59 - 0 Rekha Prasad
Paul Worsley 20 - 64 Dylan Taylor
Rekha Prasad 15 - 64 Paul Worsley

Table 11
Keith Walton 42 - 49 Phil Collinge
Phil Collinge 25 - 54 Thomas Cappleman
Thomas Cappleman 69 - 38 Keith Walton

Table 12
Chris Marshall 43 - 55 Heather Styles
Heather Styles 56 - 37 Supee Juachan
Supee Juachan 34 - 51 Chris Marshall

Table 13
Dave Coulthurst 51 - 31 Tracey Mills
Stewart Gordon 47 - 51 Dave Coulthurst
Tracey Mills 53 - 52 Stewart Gordon

Table 14
Lee Fisher 45 - 48 Gevin Chapwell
Apterous Prune 0 - 26 Lee Fisher
Gevin Chapwell 63 - 0 Apterous Prune

Round 3

Table 1
Ed McCullagh 65 - 61 Jack Worsley
Jack Worsley 60 - 70* Mark Deeks
Mark Deeks 64 - 61 Ed McCullagh

Table 2
Jon Corby 50 - 57 Jon O'Neill
Jon O'Neill 71 - 40 Zarte Siempre
Zarte Siempre 46 - 45 Jon Corby

Table 3
Andy Platt 68 - 51 Mark Tournoff
Mark Tournoff 65 - 39 Thomas Cappleman
Thomas Cappleman 47 - 61 Andy Platt

Table 4
Conor Travers 47 - 31 Jayne Wisniewski
Jayne Wisniewski 52 - 57 Jennifer Steadman
Jennifer Steadman 63 - 60 Conor Travers

Table 5
Heather Styles 44 - 59 Matt Bayfield
Matt Bayfield 63* - 53 Rose Boyle
Rose Boyle 20 - 54 Heather Styles

Table 6
Kirk Bevins 70 - 46 Michelle Nevitt
Michelle Nevitt 69 - 52 Gevin Chapwell
Gevin Chapwell 35 - 75 Kirk Bevins

Table 7
James Robinson 52 - 54 Thomas Carey
Ryan Taylor 59 - 69* James Robinson
Thomas Carey 31 - 60 Ryan Taylor

Table 8
Graeme Cole 69 - 23 Matt Morrison
Matt Morrison 38 - 71 Rob Foster
Rob Foster 55 - 78 Graeme Cole

Table 9
Andy McGurn 46 - 56* Dinos Sfyris
Dave Coulthurst 35 - 67 Andy McGurn
Dinos Sfyris 69 - 51 Dave Coulthurst

Table 10
Amie Bateen 37 - 68 Dylan Taylor
Chris Marshall 28 - 62 Amie Bateen
Dylan Taylor 60 - 51 Chris Marshall

Table 11
Dan McColm 62 - 50 Phil Collinge
Phil Collinge 60 - 34 Tracey Mills
Tracey Mills 56 - 83 Dan McColm

Table 12
Joseph Krol 68 - 28 Paul Worsley
Lauren Hamer 46 - 53 Joseph Krol
Paul Worsley 50 - 56 Lauren Hamer

Table 13
Lee Fisher 50 - 27 Rekha Prasad
Rekha Prasad 10 - 36 Supee Juachan
Supee Juachan 36 - 34 Lee Fisher

Table 14
Keith Walton 42 - 58 Stewart Gordon
Apterous Prune 0 - 56 Keith Walton
Stewart Gordon 52 - 0 Apterous Prune

Standings

Name P W PTS
1 Mark Deeks 6 6 395
2 Kirk Bevins 6 5 384
3 Ed McCullagh 6 5 383
4 Matt Bayfield 6 5 373
4 Andy Platt 6 5 373
6 Dylan Taylor 6 5 366
7 Jon O'Neill 6 5 347
8 Jennifer Steadman 6 5 319
9 Dan McColm 6 4 385
10 Graeme Cole 6 4 378
10 Jack Worsley 6 4 378
12 Mark Tournoff 6 4 355
13 Conor Travers 6 4 341
14 Dinos Sfyris 6 4 333
15 Zarte Siempre 6 4 304
16 Thomas Cappleman 6 3 342
17 Ryan Taylor 6 3 332
18 Rob Foster 6 3 330
19 Jon Corby 6 3 327
20 Joseph Krol 6 3 316
20 James Robinson 6 3 316
22 Michelle Nevitt 6 3 301
23 Andy McGurn 6 3 297
24 Heather Styles 6 3 296
25 Thomas Carey 6 3 289
26 Jayne Wisniewski 6 3 280
27 Stewart Gordon 6 2 299
28 Amie Bateen 6 2 288
29 Gevin Chapwell 6 2 278
30 Phil Collinge 6 2 263
31 Rose Boyle 6 2 259
32 Dave Coulthurst 6 2 256
33 Lauren Hamer 6 2 255
34 Lee Fisher 6 2 242
35 Matt Morrison 6 2 233
36 Supee Juachan 6 2 216
37 Tracey Mills 6 1 268
38 Keith Walton 6 1 239
39 Chris Marshall 6 1 233
40 Paul Worsley 6 1 213
41 Rekha Prasad 6 0 72
42 'Apterous Prune' 6 0 0

Thanks Ben for the entire thing! It was a great craic. Of all the Co events I've been to, this was the best. It's just got it all. The pool table, the good size facilities (I've found all the other ones have been too cramped, which is of course unavoidable), good prizes into which much thought has gone, seamless operation, and the best guest lists. It's also just so freaking........chill, you know? Great fun. A1++++++++++++ First class. Highly recommended. Item as described, very well packed & sent promptly, thanks! Recommended ebayer!

Nice to bloody win something and no longer be a nearly-man, so very happy with that. Had to play four series winners in seven games, so it was a hell of a strong field, which all added to the majesty of the event. But you know what I like most about the whole Countdown thing? It's the stories of sportsmanship, the spirit in which it's done. And that was evidenced yesterday as well. I wouldn't have won this thing if wasn't for two such examples. In my fourth game against Dinos, the game went to a crucial conundrum, on which Dinos buzzed quickly and said "EMMINANCE". The answer was "IMMANENCE" - however, because we were saying and not writing, it kind of sounded like he said that as well. Mark Tournoff hesitated, justifiably stumped as to what to do, which confirmed to Dinos that he wasn't quite right but was really bloody close. Not knowing what else to do, Mark asked Dinos to spell it; knowing he'd gotten it wrong, Dinos could have changed and spelt it correctly to fudge the answer. But he stuck to what he said, even knowing it was wrong. And then in my fifth game against Jack Worsley, we both buzzed very quickly on the conundrum and almost simultaneously, but with Jack indisputably just squeaking it. However, like a twat, I started saying my answer as soon as I buzzed, even though I didn't win the buzz. The answer was TELEGENIC, and I got as far as "TEL" before stopping myself. Jack still had to declare, and, with me having given him that rather massive clue, could have taken a sneaky extra second to work it out from there. However, he didn't, and stuck with what he initially buzzed in with, even though it was wrong and he knew it. That's the spirit of the game in action right there and it makes the whole bloody thing worthwhile. So thank you to everybody, but especially them two.

I look forward to returning next year and trying to defend the title. I also look forward to failing to do so, freefalling spectacularly down the table, feeling sorry for myself, lashing out at everybody else in a futile attempt to resolve this frustration, heckling the winner for hours, getting drunk, deciding I'm gonna take them down, challenging them to a spontaneous showdown, losing it, sulking some more, drinking some more, and then leaving without saying goodbye. It's going to be the best Jon Corby impression EVER.

What Mark said. Tournament wise, every single one of my games was very enjoyable (if I'm being picky, perhaps bar a couple of terrible misses against Conor which saw me quickly 14-0 down). Socially wise, the pub etc was great, lots of good banter around the pool table/quiz machine/darts board/etc

You guys are an absolute pleasure to be around and I hope the next one is half that good.

Gevin voluntarily hugged me. I guess he had a good birthday.

Thanks Ben. Not only is COLIN the big daddy of Countdown events, this one was the biggest ever, and my favourite one for plenty of reasons. Look forward to coming again next year.

I got two nines, Ben - AEROPLANE and MORALISER.

Dan McColm wrote:I got two nines, Ben - AEROPLANE and MORALISER.

Righto- the random number picked was '15' so it'll have been the second one you spotted then.

Mark Deeks wrote:I look forward to returning next year and trying to defend the title. I also look forward to failing to do so, freefalling spectacularly down the table, feeling sorry for myself, lashing out at everybody else in a futile attempt to resolve this frustration, heckling the winner for hours, getting drunk, deciding I'm gonna take them down, challenging them to a spontaneous showdown, losing it, sulking some more, drinking some more, and then leaving without saying goodbye. It's going to be the best Jon Corby impression EVER.

This is one of the best things ever. Corby is going to love it.

I think the big question on everyone's mind is what happened with the karaoke?

Lesley Hines wrote:I think the big question on everyone's mind is what happened with the karaoke?

It never happened unfortunately, Lesley. Don't know why

Nothing to do with all the weirdos who kept emailing, then?

Matt Morrison wrote:

Mark Deeks wrote:I look forward to returning next year and trying to defend the title. I also look forward to failing to do so, freefalling spectacularly down the table, feeling sorry for myself, lashing out at everybody else in a futile attempt to resolve this frustration, heckling the winner for hours, getting drunk, deciding I'm gonna take them down, challenging them to a spontaneous showdown, losing it, sulking some more, drinking some more, and then leaving without saying goodbye. It's going to be the best Jon Corby impression EVER.

This is one of the best things ever. Corby is going to love it.

Jono said virtually the same thing on the train home

I think Deeks's best Jon Corby impression was winning his first COLIN undefeated, but there you go. Plus you'll still be challenging for the title next year Mark, it'll take a few years before you become a washed-up old has-been like me. I was actually fairly proud of my modest placing this year, as I felt I played the game in the right spirit as opposed to all these geeks who have swallowed the dictionary and cannot pronounce nor know the meaning of the words they declare. My husband and I were pleased when the whole thing was over so we could return to normal.

Well done Neb for another excellent tournament, everything went perfectly. As always we had laughs and great fun on every table. Huge props to Mark for winning undefeated in a such a strong field, but well done everybody that played really, the tournament needs all of us.

I was actually fairly proud of my modest placing this year, as I felt I played the game in the right spirit as opposed to all these geeks who have swallowed the dictionary and cannot pronounce nor know the meaning of the words they declare. My husband and I were pleased when the whole thing was over so we could return to normal.

I'm hoping I've done the quoting properly (I don't use this that much) but that just made me snort juice out of my nose...

(...apparently not)

Zarte Siempre wrote:

I was actually fairly proud of my modest placing this year, as I felt I played the game in the right spirit as opposed to all these geeks who have swallowed the dictionary and cannot pronounce nor know the meaning of the words they declare. My husband and I were pleased when the whole thing was over so we could return to normal.

I'm hoping I've done the quoting properly (I don't use this that much) but that just made me snort juice out of my nose...

I have just choked on water at work.

I find this an extraordinary coincidence.

Here are a few apologies that I feel are in order:

Sorry to Dan for upsetting you.
Sorry to Matt for throwing a pool cue at you.
Sorry to Dylan who I didn't acknowledge once all day to keep up this "feud" I have with him.
Sorry to the landlady who I promised I'd evacuate the pub in a nice manner before proceeded to shout "Can everyone get the fuck out? Go on fuck off!".
Sorry to the people who were playing Countdown at the end and I just came over and was very loud and obnoxious and just shouting out words.
Sorry to the quiz machine people who I was also just shouting out wrong answers to.
Sorry to Matt, Heather and Indra for not waking up in time to say goodbye to you.
Sorry to all for disrupting your games with FARTED (although that was Ann's fault).
Sorry to all (except Joseph Krol) for doing a shit quiz for the puzzle mag.

But thank you to everybody (especially Ben) who makes COLIN, COLIN. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Absolutely fantastic weekend! Brilliantly run as usual, Ben. Was surprised but chuffed to do well in the actual game-playing bit of the event when there was such a strong field - proof that anything can happen in 9-rounders, really! It was also great to meet some new faces and chat to people who I haven't really spoken to at previous events (Jono, Jim Bentley).

Just a few of my personal highlights:

- Not getting hypothermia (yet) despite taking up Jono's suggestion of making a snow angel when I wasn't wearing a jumper/coat.
- The high-octane snowball fight on Friday night outside the Travelodge. (Even if most of the participants pussied out early - wimps.)
- Jon Corby not being an arsehole
- Conor's jumper - just as snazzy in real life as on TV!
- Mark coming back to win the final in some style - a very well deserved victory, especially considering he'd gone unbeaten all day.
- Ryan trying to pronounce 'neuter' as 'noi-ter'
- Zarte trying to sleep in his suitcase while slightly* out of it in the early hours of Sunday morning (*understatement)

There were so many, though. Can't wait for next year - CoLin really is the best

Jennifer Steadman wrote:Absolutely fantastic weekend! Brilliantly run as usual, Ben. Was surprised but chuffed to do well in the actual game-playing bit of the event when there was such a strong field - proof that anything can happen in 9-rounders, really! It was also great to meet some new faces and chat to people who I haven't really spoken to at previous events (Jono, Jim Bentley).

Just a few of my personal highlights:

- Not getting hypothermia (yet) despite taking up Jono's suggestion of making a snow angel when I wasn't wearing a jumper/coat.
- The high-octane snowball fight on Friday night outside the Travelodge. (Even if most of the participants pussied out early - wimps.)
- Jon Corby not being an arsehole
- Conor's jumper - just as snazzy in real life as on TV!
- Mark coming back to win the final in some style - a very well deserved victory, especially considering he'd gone unbeaten all day.
- Ryan trying to pronounce 'neuter' as 'noi-ter'
- Zarte trying to sleep in his suitcase while slightly* out of it in the early hours of Sunday morning (*understatement)

There were so many, though. Can't wait for next year - CoLin really is the best

I feel like you shouldn't really be too happy with me since you were about 12 inches away from having your brains splattered over the outside wall of Little Chef by one of my rocket-force snowballs. But thanks and ditto!

Absolutely brilliant weekend. Thanks to everyone for the birthday card and cake and the chocolates and the badge. I got the feeling that the Morricocks (Matt, Heather, Indra) were mostly responsible for that, so thank you very much. Definitely one of my best birthdays, and at 96, I've had plenty of birthdays. And a very well organised tournament from Ben as always, so congratulations on that.

Trying (and mostly failing) to watch Countdown on my phone on the train on the way up on Friday with Jono, Corby and Heather Styles, the snowball fight on Friday night and playing Street Countdown in the Fox and Hounds on Saturday were definitely some of the best moments, especially as I nearly beat Conor. The fact that it was a "Gevin's Delight" 9-rounder is irrelevant. The fact is that Conor required a sudden-death conundrum to beat me, so I'm as good at Countdown as him, right?

But yeah, everyone was great - I won't name you all but if you were there you were great (probably) - and I think I spoke to most people present over the course of the weekend and it was all really good.

Edit - and four people sitting together on the train back but instead of talking, three of them just looking at the C4C thread on their phones just shows how great and sociable all Countdowners are. (Sorry Heather Styles if you felt left out there)

Jennifer Steadman wrote:Jon Corby not being an arsehole

Wait - what? I must have missed this. When did this happen?

It's a sorry-looking results table for the over 30s this year. Damn you young whippersnappers with your sponge-like brains, your asymmetric haircuts, your talents with a pool cue...

Cracking event, as always, Ben. I'll be back next year, but with a new ambition - to finish as the highest-ranked Scrabble player.

Ryan Taylor wrote:Sorry to all (except Joseph Krol) for doing a shit quiz for the puzzle mag.

We only get it for Elfeshire's contribution anyway.

Gavin Chipper wrote:

Jennifer Steadman wrote:Jon Corby not being an arsehole

Wait - what? I must have missed this. When did this happen?

He was upset about me calling him an arsehole last year and as a result was trying so hard to prove his non-arseholeynesses that he gave me surprisingly good advice when I was playing pool and was generally fairly nice to me. Seems he took his arseholeynesses out on the rest of you instead

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Jennifer Steadman wrote:It was also great to meet some new faces and chat to people who I haven't really spoken to at previous events (Jono, Jim Bentley).

I feel like you shouldn't really be too happy with me since you were about 12 inches away from having your brains splattered over the outside wall of Little Chef by one of my rocket-force snowballs.

Good thing your aim is shit then really.

Jennifer Steadman wrote:- Mark coming back to win the final in some style - a very well deserved victory, especially considering he'd gone unbeaten all day.

Thanks! It's a real honour to have won an event previously won by such legends of the game like Chris Wills, Conor Travers and Kirk Bevins.

Mark Deeks wrote:

Jennifer Steadman wrote:- Mark coming back to win the final in some style - a very well deserved victory, especially considering he'd gone unbeaten all day.

Thanks! It's a real honour to have won an event previously won by such legends of the game like Chris Wills, Conor Travers and Kirk Bevins.

All series winners as well. So that's pretty good.

I got to play both finalists (you and Kirk) during the day, and as Lexplorer was checked for beaters after each round, I have to say a particular congratulations to Kirk for maxing his game against me. I think that's a better way of ranking players.

Gavin Chipper wrote:

Mark Deeks wrote:

Jennifer Steadman wrote:- Mark coming back to win the final in some style - a very well deserved victory, especially considering he'd gone unbeaten all day.

Thanks! It's a real honour to have won an event previously won by such legends of the game like Chris Wills, Conor Travers and Kirk Bevins.

All series winners as well. So that's pretty good.

I got to play both finalists (you and Kirk) during the day, and as Lexplorer was checked for beaters after each round, I have to say a particular congratulations to Kirk for maxing his game against me. I think that's a better way of ranking players.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA xD

Jennifer Steadman wrote: - The high-octane snowball fight on Friday night outside the Travelodge. (Even if most of the participants pussied out early - wimps.)
- Ryan trying to pronounce 'neuter' as 'noi-ter'

1) pussied^ isn't in, go for upsides.
2) I thought it *was* pronounced "noi-ter"?

Gavin Chipper wrote:I got to play both finalists (you and Kirk) during the day, and as Lexplorer was checked for beaters after each round, I have to say a particular congratulations to Kirk for maxing his game against me. I think that's a better way of ranking players.

Considering you maxed the game between me and Lauren, and me against Corby, you're better than Kirk!

Kirk Bevins wrote:

Jennifer Steadman wrote: - The high-octane snowball fight on Friday night outside the Travelodge. (Even if most of the participants pussied out early - wimps.)
- Ryan trying to pronounce 'neuter' as 'noi-ter'

1) pussied^ isn't in, go for upsides.
2) I thought it *was* pronounced "noi-ter"?

This post is all the worst things about apterous and Countdown. Kirk, be ashamed. Sorry, MASHED + A.

By the way, what was up with the TVs in the Travelodge? Not only were they frozen on Friday night, but they also seemed to only have the five old "terrestrial" channels. That doesn't make any sense because that's not even a thing any more. There's no such thing as "the five terrestrial channels".

Mine only had four channels.

Matt Morrison wrote:This post is all the worst things about apterous and Countdown. Kirk, be ashamed. Sorry, MASHED + A.

What....knowing which words are in a particular dictionary and then how to pronounce things properly? Yeah, sounds awful.

Oxford says new-ter from what I can tell.

Isn't it "new-ter" as in neutering pets and "noi-ter" as in the German case?

Sounds about right to me, Adam.

Adam Gillard wrote:Isn't it "new-ter" as in neutering pets and "noi-ter" as in the German case?

If you're speaking in German.

Adam Gillard wrote:Isn't it "new-ter" as in neutering pets and "noi-ter" as in the German case?

I learnt it in German at school and it was pronounced "noi-ter". Then I learnt about the pets thing and assumed it was pronounced the same. Not a silly assumption at all.

I can find no reference, in any online or printed English language dictionary, to the pronunciation "noy-ter". Every dictionary I have consulted lists the IPA pronunciation as "njuːtə" i.e. "nyu-ter" (British pronunciation), or "noo-ter" (American pronunciation), regardless of whether the word is being used as a grammatical or biological term.

The German word "Neutrum", meaning "neuter" in grammar, is pronounced with the syllable "noy-", which might explain why a German teacher would pronounce the word, as far as I can see, incorrectly in English.

Though I'm happy to be proven wrong if someone can find a valid reference to "noy-ter".

I have never learned German. This may explain why I found the pronunciation so hilarious.

Me and Michelle are in hysterics that this has turned into a debate over how to pronounce "neuter". Would you care to clarify "para-dime" vs "para-diggem" (paradigm). And "Pwoy-ro" vs "Pwa-ro" (Poirot).

Ryan Taylor wrote:Me and Michelle are in hysterics that this has turned into a debate over how to pronounce "neuter". Would you care to clarify "para-dime" vs "para-diggem" (paradigm). And "Pwoy-ro" vs "Pwa-ro" (Poirot).

And 'far-ted' vs 'faaaaaaa-ted' please.

LOL

It was a good weekend. Nice to put so many thumbnails to actual people. Good day and a pleasure to have played and met some greats of the game and a good night drinking and meeting Countdown characters. I'll probably come to another one after this

I only got 31 v Dylan so should have come 39= but I don't think anyone will be too bothered by that.

Ben Wilson wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:Me and Michelle are in hysterics that this has turned into a debate over how to pronounce "neuter". Would you care to clarify "para-dime" vs "para-diggem" (paradigm). And "Pwoy-ro" vs "Pwa-ro" (Poirot).

And 'far-ted' vs 'faaaaaaa-ted' please.

I Lol'd