Countdown recap for Thursday 25 March 2010.
C1: Champion Dave Wilkinson (3 wins, 238 points.) From Coalville, Leicestershire, but originally from Lincoln, Lincolnshire. He works as a housing officer. He supports Lincoln City and has been since 1963.
C2: Challenger Anne Evans. From Carmarthenshire, Wales. She is a retired nursery nurse. She has been married to Davy for 53 years and has a pet pheasant called Oliver. Welsh is her first language. She wants to meet Catherine Zeta-Jones, after failing to get her autograph when she previosuly met her while she was starring in The Darling Buds Of May.
DC: Susie Dent and Gregg "Pudding Face" Wallace.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D R A E M D U E R
R02: T V N O U S A E Q
R03: T N A O S L S E I
R04: V P M E I A Z O D
R05: 100, 50, 7, 8, 1, 6. Target: 395.
TTT: DADGREEN - "Had a fleeting glance at the bird, perhaps?"
R06: X E U E T W S G N
R07: T G O I N A Y S N
R08: T R G E A M I B P
R09: L H O A R B S I P
R10: 75, 100, 7, 5, 2, 6. Target: 769.
TTT: VANRIDES - "The aliens might take all your space"
R11: C R O E I K T R C
R12: F L D E I E P A S
R13: M T E O E C L S L
R14: 25, 75, 3, 9, 10, 5. Target: 682.
R15: G N E W D E L H I (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: D R A E M D U E R
C1: DREAMER (7)
C2: DREAMER (7)
DC: DREAMED (7) MURDERED (8)
OT: DEMURRED (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8)
DEMURRED comes from DEMUR, meaning to make an objection.
Round 2: T V N O U S A E Q
C1: VAUNTS (6)
C2: QUOTES (6)
DC: NOVATES (7)
OT: EQUANTS (7) SOUTANE (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 15)
Round 3: T N A O S L S E I
C1: ELATION (7)
C2: elations
DC: TOENAILS (8)
OT: ENTISOLS (8) ISOLATES (8) SALIENTS (8) SALTINES (8)
Score: 20–13 (max 23)
Unfortunately for Anne, ELATION can't be pluralised, as it is already in mass form.
A SALTINE is a crisp, salted cracker.
Round 4: V P M E I A Z O D
C1: AVOID (5)
C2: VAMPED (6)
DC: diazepam
OT: EPIZOA (6) POMADE (6)
Score: 20–19 (max 29)
DC thought they had an amazing 8, until they realised that there was only 1 A in the selection. But, Anne gets back in with her 6, the first contestant max of the day.
Round 5: 100, 50, 7, 8, 1, 6. Target: 395.
C1: 395. (8 x 50) - (6 - 1) (10)
C2: 395. (8 x 50) - (6 - 1) (10)
Score: 30–29 (max 39)
Gregg tells a story of his first date with his now fiancee, who he met on Twitter.
Teatime teaser: DADGREEN -> GANDERED
Round 6: X E U E T W S G N
C1: SWEET (5)
C2: GUEST (5)
DC: EXEUNT (6) EXEUNTS (7)
Score: 35–34 (max 46)
Round 7: T G O I N A Y S N
C1: STAYING (7)
C2: SATING (6)
DC: TANNOYS (7) AGONIST (7)
OT: ANOINTS (7) NATIONS (7) ONANIST (7) ATONING (7) NOSYING (7) STONING (7) TIGNONS (7)
Score: 42–34 (max 53)
Round 8: T R G E A M I B P
C1: GREAT (5)
C2: IMPART (6)
DC: PRIMATE (7) MEGABIT (7) EPIGRAM (7)
OT: GAMBIER (7) MIGRATE (7) RAGTIME (7)
Score: 42–40 (max 60)
A GAMBIER is an astringent extract obtained from the leaves and young shoots of a tropical Asian shrub, the Uncaria gambir.
Round 9: L H O A R B S I P
C1: misdeclared 5
C2: HAIRS (5)
DC: PARBOILS (8)
OT: BASOPHIL (8)
Score: 42–45 (max 68)
Oh dear. Dave sees a phantom T giving Anne the lead for the first time today, as DC find a food-related 8.
A BASOPHIL is a white blood cell having a two-lobed nucleus and basophilic granules in its cytoplasm.
Susie's Guess The Origin goes all out today, as Jeff, Rachel & Gregg try and guess the correct origin.
The word is HAYWARD.
Is it:
a) An old dialect term for the hedge sparrow.
b) The order given to soldiers in the 18th & 19th centuries to march back towards their garrison.
c) A hedge warden, someone who maintained hedges and fences in Medieval times.
Jeff nominates Gregg as the representative or the team, and he guesses a), but it is c).
Round 10: 75, 100, 7, 5, 2, 6. Target: 769.
C1: 769. (7 x 100) + 75 - 6 (10)
C2: 767.
Score: 52–45 (max 78)
Unfortunately, Anne's lead goes just like that, after she fails on a relatively easy numbers.
Teatime teaser: VANRIDES -> INVADERS
Round 11: C R O E I K T R C
C1: CRICKET (7)
C2: CORRECT (7)
DC: TRICKER (7)
OT: COCKIER (7) CORKIER (7) ROCKIER (7) CROCKET (7) ORECTIC (7)
Score: 59–52 (max 85)
A CROCKET is a medieval ornament, usually in the form of a leaf that curves up and away from the supporting surface and returns partially upon itself.
ORECTIC, as Chris Davies might tell you, means of or pertaining to desire.
Round 12: F L D E I E P A S
C1: DEFILES (7)
C2: FIELDS (6)
DC: PALSIED (7)
OT: AEDILES (7) ELAPSED (7) PLEASED (7) PLEIADS (7) SPIELED (7)
Score: 66–52 (max 92)
Dave gets a double-figured lead, putting him one step away from victory.
An AEDILE is one of a board of Ancient Roman magistrates in charge of public buildings, streets, markets, games, etc.
A PLEIAD is any group of eminent or brilliant persons or things, esp. when seven in number.
SPIELED comes from SPIEL, meaning to speak extravagantly.
Round 13: M T E O E C L S L
C1: COMETS (6)
C2: COLLETS (7)
DC: TELECOMS (8)
Score: 66–59 (max 100)
But, Anne pulls out a brilliant 7, meaning that the numbers could give a very good idea as to who might win today.
Round 14: 25, 75, 3, 9, 10, 5. Target: 682.
C1: 683. (9 x 75) + 5 + 3 (7)
C2: 686.
RR: 682. (9 x 75) + 10 - 3 (10)
Score: 73–59 (max 110)
Both contestants miss the 10, but luckily Dave's 7 wraps up the game for him.
Round 15: G N E W D E L H I
C1 buzzes on 11 seconds to say WHEEDLING which is correct.
Score: 83–59 (max 120)
And his first conundrum solve since his first show, put him past 80, maintaining his average on his run.
So, Dave reaches 4 wins, can he reach the promised land of 8, which has eluded all but 1 of our contestants this series
Tomorrow is the 5,000th EDITION of the show, with ex-host Des Lynam in DC for this very special occasion.
Mike will recap it, when he gets the time.
So, until next week from me, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Dave:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 99
Total % of max - 69
Raw % of max - 83
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 6.6
Number of maxes - 6
Anne:
Total score - 59
Raw score - 85
Total % of max - 49
Raw % of max - 71
Total average score per round - 3.9
Raw average score per round - 5.7
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62