These people have got to take notice of what we're doing sooner or later
Well, let's hope today's show can outperform the other 2 shows this week. In fairness, not a hard task.
Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 30 March 2011.
C1: Champion Mark Gavin (1 win, 93 points.) From Belfast. He works as a company director. One of his ambitions is to have a runner at the Cheltenham Festival.
C2: Challenger Andrew McNamara. From Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He is training to become a maths teacher. He enjoys football and his favourite place is St. James's Park. He says that the person he'd most like to play himself in a film is Brian Blessed, mainly to give himself a louder voice.
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: J L S E O E R N E
R02: V A I D Y T O A N
R03: G R C E A U L D M
R04: W E A D C T O E L
R05: 50, 25, 1, 9, 7, 2. Target: 454.
TTT: SLICKFAN - "It's bound to provide a cover for the books"
R06: W A I L G D O E P
R07: N R S I E U R C A
R08: G T N E E I T S U
R09: P G I M O E B S H
R10: 100, 7, 5, 7, 1, 5. Target: 702.
TTT: BEALEMON - "What a cannibal might use for fertiliser"
R11: X D M O I A K B O
R12: N I A T R R I O T
R13: S L P E A E D S A
R14: 50, 3, 2, 1, 5, 2. Target: 305.
R15: I N S T I D U T E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: J L S E O E R N E
C1: SERENE (6)
C2: LOSER (5)
DC: RESOLE (6)
OT: ENROLS (6) LEONES (6) LONERS (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6)
A slow start again, but 6 is the best, and it's good enough to give Mark an early advantage.
A LEONE is a paper money, cupronickel or silver coin, and monetary unit of Sierra Leone, equal to 100 cents.
Round 2: V A I D Y T O A N
C1: TODAY (5)
C2: DAINTY (6)
DC: VANITY (6)
OT: AVOIDANT (8)
Score: 6–6 (max 14)
But it doesn't take Andrew long to get back level with his 6.
AVOIDANT is an adjective meaning to demonstrate a tendency to avoid intimacy or interaction with others.
Round 3: G R C E A U L D M
C1: CALMED (6)
C2: MAULED (6)
DC: MAULER (6) GRACED (6)
OT: ARGUED (6) CADGER (6) CALMER (6) CRADLE (6) CREDAL (6) CUDGEL (6) CURDLE (6) CURLED (6) DERMAL (6) GLARED (6) LARGED (6) MACULE (6) MARCEL (6) MARLED (6) MEDLAR (6) MURAGE (6) REMUDA (6)
Score: 12–12 (max 20)
Bring on the pancakes
MARCEL is a verb meaning to wave (the hair) by means of special irons, producing the effect of regular, continuous waves (marcel waves).
MARLED means to fertilise with MARL, a friable earthy deposit consisting of clay and calcium carbonate, used especially as a fertiliser for soils deficient in lime.
A MURAGE is a toll or tax for the repair or construction of the walls or fortifications of a town.
Round 4: W E A D C T O E L
C1: LOCATED (7)
C2: COATED (6)
DC: CLEATED (7)
Score: 19–12 (max 27)
Mark regains the lead after he LOCATED one of the 2 available 7's.
Round 5: 50, 25, 1, 9, 7, 2. Target: 454.
C1: 454. (50 x 9) + 7 - 2 - 1 (10)
C2: 454. (50 x 9) + 7 - 2 - 1 (10)
Score: 29–22 (max 37)
Nothing much to test the maths brains early on here.
Paul unveils his "Z-Cloths" and magically cleans Susie's wedding ring, makes it burn away and then reappear in his lighter case.
Teatime teaser: SLICKFAN -> CALFSKIN
Round 6: W A I L G D O E P
C1: WAILED (6)
C2: WAILED (6)
DC: PEDALO (6)
OT: DEWLAP (6) DIPOLE (6) EIDOLA (6) GAOLED (6) GAWPED (6) GLOWED (6) GOALIE (6) GWEILO (6) LAPDOG (6) PLEIAD (6)
Score: 35–28 (max 43)
More pancakes a flying here.
A DEWLAP is a pendulous fold of skin under the throat of a bovine animal.
A DIPOLE is a pair of electric point charges or magnetic poles of equal magnitude and opposite signs, separated by an infinitesimal distance.
Round 7: N R S I E U R C A
C1: CRUISER (7)
C2: INSURER (7)
DC: CARRIES (7) ARSENIC (7)
OT: CARNIES (7) CURRIES (7) SAUCIER (7) SCARIER (7) SUCRIER (7)
Score: 42–35 (max 50)
These pancakes have got to run out soon.....
Round 8: G T N E E I T S U
C1: TEEING (6)
C2: TESTING (7)
JS: SETTING (7)
OT: EUGENIST (8)
Score: 42–42 (max 58)
There is a darren around this time, but its missed by all, but Andrew beats Mark with his TESTING 7, and the scores are level again.....,
Round 9: P G I M O E B S H
C1: HOPES (5)
C2: HOMIES (6)
DC: IMPOSE (6) BOGIES (6)
OT: BIOMES (6) BISHOP (6) EGOISM (6) GOBIES (6) MOPISH (6)
Score: 42–48 (max 64)
....and like last time, it last for one round, but this time, Andrew has the lead thanks to his 6.
A BIOME is a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax.
A GOBY is any small marine or freshwater fish of the family Gobiidae, often having the pelvic fins united to form a suctorial disk.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "nostrils", which were originally called "nose thrills".
Round 10: 100, 7, 5, 7, 1, 5. Target: 702.
C1: 702. (7 x 100) + 7 - 5 (10)
C2: 702. (7 x 100) + 7 - 5 (10)
Score: 52–58 (max 74)
Again, a very unchallenging numbers game appears. So much for all that maths practice
Teatime teaser: BEALEMON -> BONEMEAL
Round 11: X D M O I A K B O
C1: AXIOM (5)
C2: MOOD (4)
DC: AKIMBO (6) MIKADO (6)
OT: KABOOM (6)
Score: 57–58 (max 80)
A very good spot by Mark sees the gap shrink down to 1, as DC show off with 2 of the 3 available 6's.
Round 12: N I A T R R I O T
C1: RATION (6)
C2: IRRITANT (8)
Score: 57–66 (max 88)
BUT THAT'S AN AWESOME SPOT
Andrew's 8 is fantastic, even getting plaudits from Mark too. Round 13: S L P E A E D S A
C1: PLEASED (7)
C2: PLEASED (7)
DC: ELAPSED (7)
OT: ELAPSES (7) PASSADE (7) PLEASES (7) SALADES (7) SAPELES (7)
Score: 64–73 (max 95)
A nice pancake round to finish with, with the result still in the balance....
In Manège (the art of training and riding horses), a PASSADE is a turn or course of a horse backward or forward on the same ground.
A SAPELE (or ABOUDIKRO) is the mahoganylike wood of any of several African trees of the genus Entandrophragma, used for making furniture.
Round 14: 50, 3, 2, 1, 5, 2. Target: 305.
C1: 305. (3 x 2 x 50) + 5 (10)
C2: 305. (3 x 2 x 50) + 5 (10)
Score: 74–83 (max 105)
Deary me, another simple numbers game. Just our luck that 2 supposedly good maths brains haven't been tested in the numbers games.
Oh well, on the plus side though, we do have a crucial conundrum, and I'm not sure who is gonna get this one.....
Round 15: I N S T I D U T E
No one buzzes. The answer was UNTIDIEST.
Final Score: 74–83 (max 115)
....and it turns out no-one, but a few hands in the audience, and the person picked happens to be none other than Series 60 semi-finalist Neil Zussman
So, Andrew is now the new champion, meaning that we have had 4 new champions in a row now, but at least we had a better contest today, and Andrew was definitely a deserving winner.
Join me tomorrow to see how much further he can go.......
Till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Mark:
Total score - 74
Raw score - 95
Total % of max - 64
Raw % of max - 83
Total average score per round - 4.9
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 9
Andrew:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 98
Total % of max - 72
Raw % of max - 85
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 6.5
Number of maxes - 9
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64
