C1: Champion Chris Longden (1 win, 78 points.)
C2: Challenger Annie Hawes (from London; studying at Trinity College, Cambridge.)
DC: Susie Dent and Aled Jones.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
First of all, my apologies for the lateness of this Friday recap – a much-needed break in North Wales got in the way; hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly.
Friday’s game saw champion Chris Longden from Sheffield pitted against challenger Annie Hawes, who, being a bright young thing from Cambridge University, looked like she might give the young man from Yorkshire a run for his money. What happened? Let’s see...
R01: T N I U R T I L E
R02: L O M R E C O E Q
R03: R S D I A Y H E R
R04: V I E L S O R E T
R05: 25, 1, 7, 8, 10, 3. Target: 250.
TTT: SHOPCARE - "They steal things and they also cook them."
R06: G A V U O S E N R
R07: N S I A K O N S L
R08: D P S I E W U I C
R09: T T X E E S D N A
R10: 75, 2, 5, 10, 2, 9. Target: 221.
TTT: TINASJOB - "What's Tina's job? She's a musician, of course."
R11: T M O T I U G L D
R12: J I E F A G O S F
R13: D I E M R Z A T E
R14: 50, 3, 8, 8, 1, 4. Target: 277.
R15: M U M I S H E E P (conundrum)
Countdown is sponsored by Vitabiotics. They’re Britain’s Vitamins, apparently...
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The show opens with a discussion about how quiet it apparently is in the studio today. The camera pans across an empty set of audience seating, save for floor manager Jay (or should that be J.?), who, according to Rachel, looks like ‘a bit of a loser’ (bless), lurking in the centre. Rachel: “Are England on, or something?” Jeff: “It’s like a Rochdale home game.” I did wonder whether the production team thought there would be an England World Cup match on at this time and that perhaps it was mixed up with Wednesday...
Round 1: T N I U R T I L E
C1: TURTLE (6)
C2: NUTTIER (7)
DC: NUTTIER (7) NITRITE (7)
OT: INTITULE (8) RITENUTI (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8)
A good start for Annie; no one spots the maxes; INTITULE means to give a specific title to someone.
Round 2: L O M R E C O E Q
C1: COOLER (6)
C2: COOLER (6)
DC: CREOLE (6)
OT: EMOCORE (7)
Score: 6–13 (max 15)
Round 3: R S D I A Y H E R
C1: RAIDERS (7)
C2: SHADIER (7)
DC: HARDIER (7) HARRIES (7)
OT: HAYRIDES (8)
Score: 13–20 (max 23)
HAYRIDES are not only darrenic on this occasion; they’re also rides taken for pleasure in a wagon carrying hay (but only if you’re in North America).
Round 4: V I E L S O R E T
C1: REVILES (7)
C2: OVERLIES (8)
DC: OVERSITE (8)
OT: RELIEVOS (8) VERTISOL (8)
Score: 13–28 (max 31)
DC spot the rather punning eight OVERSITE. They don’t spot RELIEVOS, which is a term used in art, or VERTISOL, which is a clayey soil. Perhaps it was an oversite. Sorry. (And isn’t ‘clayey’ a strange word?)
Round 5: 25, 1, 7, 8, 10, 3. Target: 250.
C1: 250. ((7+1-3)x10)+(25x8) (10)
C2: 250. 25x10 (10)
Score: 23–38 (max 41)
Chris attracted criticism in the spoilers thread for going the long way round, but I’m going to be charitable and suggest that perhaps he just got bored of sipping his water during the 30 seconds.
Before the break, Aled rounds off a week of anecdotes with one about how he turned down an opportunity to appear on the Johnny Carson show when he was 13-and-a-half, because he was missing his girlfriend and needed to get to a football game. I think that’s pretty much correct.
Teatime teaser: SHOPCARE -> POACHERS
Round 6: G A V U O S E N R
C1: GOVERNS (7)
C2: ORANGES (7)
DC: NERVOUS (7)
OT: RAVENOUS (8)
Score: 30–45 (max 49)
Perhaps surprisingly (
), everyone misses RAVENOUS (they obviously aren’t familiar with the Bugblatter Beast of Traal); Annie goes for recent fave ORANGES.Round 7: N S I A K O N S L
C1: ANIONS (6)
C2: SNAILS (6)
DC: KAOLIN (6)
OT: KISANS (6) SALONS (6) SOLANS (6) SLINKS (6) SLOKAS (6)
Score: 36–51 (max 55)
Susie upsets some C4Cers by incorrectly calling anions ‘electrons’. Obviously, she should be sacked immediately...
Annie maintains her fifteen-point advantage.Round 8: D P S I E W U I C
C1: CUSPED (6)
C2: SWIPED (6)
DC: SUICIDE (7)
Score: 42–57 (max 62)
Round 9: T T X E E S D N A
C1: SEXTET (6)
C2: EXTENDS (7)
DC: SEXTANT (7)
OT: ATTENDS (7) DENTATE (7) DETENTS (7) STENTED (7) EXTENTS (7) NEATEST (7) STANDEE (7)
Score: 42–64 (max 69)
Annie EXTENDS her lead.
OoW: Susie explains the linguistic link between ‘dandelion’ and ‘dentist’. It’s all to do with teeth, natch (or should that be gnash?).
Round 10: 75, 2, 5, 10, 2, 9. Target: 221.
C1: 221. Mistake in working.
C2: -
RR: 221. (((75/(5-2))-2)x10)-9 (10)
Score: 42–64 (max 79)
A tricky one to get spot-on: Annie declares nowt, Chris blobs, Rachel picks up the pieces.
Teatime teaser: TINASJOB -> BANJOIST
Round 11: T M O T I U G L D
C1: MOGUL (5)
C2: MOGUL (5)
DC: GUILT (5) ULTIMO (6)
OT: MIDGUT (6) MODULI (6)
Score: 47–69 (max 85)
It’s forgivable that neither of our players can get beyond a five. DC spot a good six with the outmoded ULTIMO. The MIDGUT is probably what you think it is.
Round 12: J I E F A G O S F
C1: GAFFES (6)
C2: GAFFES (6)
DC: OFFIES (6) FEIJOAS (7)
Score: 53–75 (max 92)
Round 13: D I E M R Z A T E
C1: EMIRATE (7)
C2: READMIT (7)
DC: DIAMETER (8) DIATREME (8)
Score: 60–82 (max 100)
Annie can no longer be beaten, while DC beat both contestants by getting both of the available eights. A DIATREME is a plug or pipe formed when magma forces its way through layers of rock. Oh yes.
Round 14: 50, 3, 8, 8, 1, 4. Target: 277.
C1: 277. ((8-1)x(8+3))+(4x50) (10)
C2: 276.
Score: 70–82 (max 110)
A spot-on solution for Chris gives him ten points, but it only salvages him some pride...
Round 15: M U M I S H E E P
C1 buzzes on 4 seconds to say EUPHEMISM which is correct.
Score: 80–82 (max 120)
... as does getting the conundrum in 4.5 seconds (hello James). Amusing conundrum, by the way, especially when you’ve been in Wales for a week.
The fun continues on Monday when the joke-tastic Tim Vine returns to Dictionary Corner. Will he be wearing that football on his head again in honour of the World Cup? Stay tuned to find out...
This recap was powered by gluten-free lemon and almond cake. And very tasty it was, too. See you next time!
Further summaries will be at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63