Friday 3 December 2010 (Series 63, Prelim 105)
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:44 pm
Countdown recap for Friday 3 December 2010 (Series 63, Prelim 105).
C1: Champion Denise Smith (1 win, 87 points.)
C2: Challenger Adam Bevan.
DC: Susie Dent and John Suchet.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
Thursday’s game saw five-time winner Greg Hayhurst lose out to Welsh B & B owner Denise Smith, which means the top eight of the series leader board is now decided. Today, she takes on Adam Bevan (surely Kirk’s brother, then...
), who hails from the fine city of Cardiff. Let’s see how the final Friday prelim of the year pans out...
R01: G D S R E U E J V
R02: N A G N X O O B I
R03: P S T S D A E U W
R04: C A R M I C A N A
R05: 75, 2, 1, 1, 2, 6. Target: 550.
TTT: DRIVENOW - "It's one way to stop the time."
R06: R E F S A U D E K
R07: R T R I O O T Z E
R08: T R I N I L T T E
R09: W S O O R A L T E
R10: 25, 8, 9, 5, 6, 8. Target: 137.
TTT: GEDHOPES - "It reads like two animals, but it's only one."
R11: N P Q R U I O L I
R12: M O I N E B P F S
R13: V Y R H U I A C N
R14: 50, 75, 9, 8, 9, 6. Target: 393.
R15: T R I P L E B U N (conundrum)
This week’s Countdown is sponsored by Vitabiotics Jointace.
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Jeff’s opening remarks today pertain to the joys of motoring in cold weather and he shares with us a rather dubious joke about a tramp who walked past him while his car was broken down. Jeff: “piston broke.” Tramp: “yeah, me too.” Amazing what you can get away with these days...
Round 1: G D S R E U E J V
C1: SURGED (6)
C2: judgers
DC: JUDGES (6) REVUES (6)
OT: EDGERS (6) REUSED (6) SEGUED (6) SERVED (6) VERSED (6) VERGED (6) VERGES (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6)
Adam starts the day off with a gamble, and it doesn’t pay off.
Round 2: N A G N X O O B I
C1: BOXING (6)
C2: BOXING (6)
DC: BOXING (6)
OT: BAGNIO (6) GABION (6) BONING (6) BOOING (6) GABOON (6) XOANON (6)
Score: 12–6 (max 12)
Everyone is BOXING clever on this round. The rather spectacular-looking XOANON was a primitive wooden image of a deity in Ancient Greece.
Round 3: P S T S D A E U W
C1: STEADS (6)
C2: UPDATES (7)
DC: UPDATES (7)
OT: PETASUS (7) SAWDUST (7)
Score: 12–13 (max 19)
SAWDUST pops up in the selection for the second time in recent days; and PETASUS might sound a bit like a flying horse, but it’s actually a hat worn in Ancient Greece (I sense a pattern here). Spookily, in Greek mythology, the hat had wings, rather like Pegasus. And I’m not making any of this up!
Round 4: C A R M I C A N A
C1: MANIAC (6)
C2: MANIC (5)
DC: MANIAC (6) ANIMA (5)
OT: CARIAMA (7)
A CARIAMA (also SERIEMA) is a large ground-dwelling bird from South America, closely related to the bustard.
Score: 18–13 (max 26)
Round 5: 75, 2, 1, 1, 2, 6. Target: 550.
C1: -
C2: 546. Mistake in working.
OT: 552. ((75+2+2)x(6+1))-1 (7)
Score: 18–13 (max 33)
My brain exploded trying to do this one (probably the after-effects of last night’s works Christmas party), but in my defence, the contestants didn’t manage to do any better. Rachel reckons she’s “two away, I think” and fair play to her, because that’s as good as it gets.
Après le break (pretentious, moi?), John Suchet talks once more about his favourite composer, one Ludwig van Beethoven.
Teatime teaser: DRIVENOW -> OVERWIND
After the break, Jeff repeats the teaser clue as “it’s the only way to the stop the time.” Just for the record, fact fans.
Round 6: R E F S A U D E K
C1: FAKERS (6)
C2: FREAKED (7)
DC: FREAKED (7) REFUSED (7)
Score: 18–20 (max 40)
With Adam coming out ahead on this round, the ding-dong battle for the lead continues.
Round 7: R T R I O O T Z E
C1: ROTTER (6)
C2: ROTTER (6)
DC: ROOTIER (7)
Score: 24–26 (max 47)
DC go all darrenic on us with the rather bizarre comparative ROOTIER. My tree can be rootier than yours, apparently...
Round 8: T R I N I L T T E
C1: lintier
C2: LITTER (6)
DC: NITRITE (7)
OT: NITRILE (7)
Score: 24–32 (max 54)
... but sadly for Denise, my cloth cannot be lintier. Not in this dictionary, anyway.
Round 9: W S O O R A L T E
C1: LOOTERS (7)
C2: TOOLERS (7)
DC: AEROSOL (7)
OT: ROSEOLA (7) RETOOLS (7) ROOTLES (7) TROWELS (7) WASTREL (7)
Score: 31–39 (max 61)
OoW: Susie shares with us some words that have their origins in foreign parts, including jodhpurs from India and duffel coats from Belgium.
Round 10: 25, 8, 9, 5, 6, 8. Target: 137.
C1: 136. Mistake in working.
C2: 136. (5x25)+8+9-6 (7)
RR: 137. (25x6)-8-5 (10)
Score: 31–46 (max 71)
Adam goes from 125 up and misses the target by one, but Rach is spot on by realising that it’s best to work from 150 down. And it’s very much “game on” for Part Three.
Teatime teaser: GEDHOPES -> SHEEPDOG
Round 11: N P Q R U I O L I
C1: PURLOIN (7)
C2: quorn
DC: PURLOIN (7)
OT: RONQUIL (7)
Score: 38–46 (max 78)
A good spot from Denise evens up the scores a bit. RONQUIL might sound like a weedkiller or something you put on fences, but like so many words that come up on Countdown, it’s actually a fish, which, intriguingly, gets its name from the Spanish ronquillo, which means ‘slightly hoarse’.
Round 12: M O I N E B P F S
C1: OPINES (6)
C2: POEMS (5)
DC: IMPOSE (6) PONIES (6)
OT: BIOMES (6) MONIES (6)
Score: 44–46 (max 84)
Adam stays frozen on 46, while Denise reduces the gap to just two. Low scores perhaps, but exciting stuff nevertheless.
Round 13: V Y R H U I A C N
C1: unhairy
C2: unchair
DC: RAUNCHY (7)
OT: HRYVNIA (7)
Score: 44–46 (max 91)
It’s double-dare time and both our players come unstuck, although as Susie points out, Denise’s offering was the likelier of the two, describing as it does the state possessed by a bald man. The fantastic word HRYVNIA (also HRYVNA) is the monetary unit of the Ukraine, and equivalent to 100 kopiykas.
Round 14: 50, 75, 9, 8, 9, 6. Target: 393.
C1: 393. (50x8)-6-(9/9) (10)
C2: 389.
Score: 54–46 (max 101)
Shock! I felt sure both Denise and Adam were going to get ten points on this round and I almost wrote their declarations down before they spoke. As it was, only the champ collected the points to give herself a potentially useful lead going into the final round.
Round 15: T R I P L E B U N
No one buzzes. The answer was BLUEPRINT.
Final Score: 54–46 (max 111)
The deceptively tough conundrum defeats both of them and it’s left to a lady in the audience wearing a rather fetching hat to give us the solution and take home a Countdown mug to boot. With Adam failing to score for the entire third ‘half’, Denise’s 54 points are enough to see her return on Monday, while Amanda Lamb will be back in the Corner for her second run of appearances on the programme. Why not tune in at 3.25, or wait for Ryan’s Recap (if it is he) to find out whether Denise can make it three out of three?
I’ll be back this time next week when Eoin Monaghan will be taking on Niall Young in the second semi-final. Hope you can join me then.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63
C1: Champion Denise Smith (1 win, 87 points.)
C2: Challenger Adam Bevan.
DC: Susie Dent and John Suchet.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
Thursday’s game saw five-time winner Greg Hayhurst lose out to Welsh B & B owner Denise Smith, which means the top eight of the series leader board is now decided. Today, she takes on Adam Bevan (surely Kirk’s brother, then...
), who hails from the fine city of Cardiff. Let’s see how the final Friday prelim of the year pans out...R01: G D S R E U E J V
R02: N A G N X O O B I
R03: P S T S D A E U W
R04: C A R M I C A N A
R05: 75, 2, 1, 1, 2, 6. Target: 550.
TTT: DRIVENOW - "It's one way to stop the time."
R06: R E F S A U D E K
R07: R T R I O O T Z E
R08: T R I N I L T T E
R09: W S O O R A L T E
R10: 25, 8, 9, 5, 6, 8. Target: 137.
TTT: GEDHOPES - "It reads like two animals, but it's only one."
R11: N P Q R U I O L I
R12: M O I N E B P F S
R13: V Y R H U I A C N
R14: 50, 75, 9, 8, 9, 6. Target: 393.
R15: T R I P L E B U N (conundrum)
This week’s Countdown is sponsored by Vitabiotics Jointace.
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Jeff’s opening remarks today pertain to the joys of motoring in cold weather and he shares with us a rather dubious joke about a tramp who walked past him while his car was broken down. Jeff: “piston broke.” Tramp: “yeah, me too.” Amazing what you can get away with these days...
Round 1: G D S R E U E J V
C1: SURGED (6)
C2: judgers
DC: JUDGES (6) REVUES (6)
OT: EDGERS (6) REUSED (6) SEGUED (6) SERVED (6) VERSED (6) VERGED (6) VERGES (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6)
Adam starts the day off with a gamble, and it doesn’t pay off.
Round 2: N A G N X O O B I
C1: BOXING (6)
C2: BOXING (6)
DC: BOXING (6)
OT: BAGNIO (6) GABION (6) BONING (6) BOOING (6) GABOON (6) XOANON (6)
Score: 12–6 (max 12)
Everyone is BOXING clever on this round. The rather spectacular-looking XOANON was a primitive wooden image of a deity in Ancient Greece.
Round 3: P S T S D A E U W
C1: STEADS (6)
C2: UPDATES (7)
DC: UPDATES (7)
OT: PETASUS (7) SAWDUST (7)
Score: 12–13 (max 19)
SAWDUST pops up in the selection for the second time in recent days; and PETASUS might sound a bit like a flying horse, but it’s actually a hat worn in Ancient Greece (I sense a pattern here). Spookily, in Greek mythology, the hat had wings, rather like Pegasus. And I’m not making any of this up!
Round 4: C A R M I C A N A
C1: MANIAC (6)
C2: MANIC (5)
DC: MANIAC (6) ANIMA (5)
OT: CARIAMA (7)
A CARIAMA (also SERIEMA) is a large ground-dwelling bird from South America, closely related to the bustard.
Score: 18–13 (max 26)
Round 5: 75, 2, 1, 1, 2, 6. Target: 550.
C1: -
C2: 546. Mistake in working.
OT: 552. ((75+2+2)x(6+1))-1 (7)
Score: 18–13 (max 33)
My brain exploded trying to do this one (probably the after-effects of last night’s works Christmas party), but in my defence, the contestants didn’t manage to do any better. Rachel reckons she’s “two away, I think” and fair play to her, because that’s as good as it gets.
Après le break (pretentious, moi?), John Suchet talks once more about his favourite composer, one Ludwig van Beethoven.
Teatime teaser: DRIVENOW -> OVERWIND
After the break, Jeff repeats the teaser clue as “it’s the only way to the stop the time.” Just for the record, fact fans.
Round 6: R E F S A U D E K
C1: FAKERS (6)
C2: FREAKED (7)
DC: FREAKED (7) REFUSED (7)
Score: 18–20 (max 40)
With Adam coming out ahead on this round, the ding-dong battle for the lead continues.
Round 7: R T R I O O T Z E
C1: ROTTER (6)
C2: ROTTER (6)
DC: ROOTIER (7)
Score: 24–26 (max 47)
DC go all darrenic on us with the rather bizarre comparative ROOTIER. My tree can be rootier than yours, apparently...
Round 8: T R I N I L T T E
C1: lintier
C2: LITTER (6)
DC: NITRITE (7)
OT: NITRILE (7)
Score: 24–32 (max 54)
... but sadly for Denise, my cloth cannot be lintier. Not in this dictionary, anyway.
Round 9: W S O O R A L T E
C1: LOOTERS (7)
C2: TOOLERS (7)
DC: AEROSOL (7)
OT: ROSEOLA (7) RETOOLS (7) ROOTLES (7) TROWELS (7) WASTREL (7)
Score: 31–39 (max 61)
OoW: Susie shares with us some words that have their origins in foreign parts, including jodhpurs from India and duffel coats from Belgium.
Round 10: 25, 8, 9, 5, 6, 8. Target: 137.
C1: 136. Mistake in working.
C2: 136. (5x25)+8+9-6 (7)
RR: 137. (25x6)-8-5 (10)
Score: 31–46 (max 71)
Adam goes from 125 up and misses the target by one, but Rach is spot on by realising that it’s best to work from 150 down. And it’s very much “game on” for Part Three.
Teatime teaser: GEDHOPES -> SHEEPDOG
Round 11: N P Q R U I O L I
C1: PURLOIN (7)
C2: quorn
DC: PURLOIN (7)
OT: RONQUIL (7)
Score: 38–46 (max 78)
A good spot from Denise evens up the scores a bit. RONQUIL might sound like a weedkiller or something you put on fences, but like so many words that come up on Countdown, it’s actually a fish, which, intriguingly, gets its name from the Spanish ronquillo, which means ‘slightly hoarse’.
Round 12: M O I N E B P F S
C1: OPINES (6)
C2: POEMS (5)
DC: IMPOSE (6) PONIES (6)
OT: BIOMES (6) MONIES (6)
Score: 44–46 (max 84)
Adam stays frozen on 46, while Denise reduces the gap to just two. Low scores perhaps, but exciting stuff nevertheless.
Round 13: V Y R H U I A C N
C1: unhairy
C2: unchair
DC: RAUNCHY (7)
OT: HRYVNIA (7)
Score: 44–46 (max 91)
It’s double-dare time and both our players come unstuck, although as Susie points out, Denise’s offering was the likelier of the two, describing as it does the state possessed by a bald man. The fantastic word HRYVNIA (also HRYVNA) is the monetary unit of the Ukraine, and equivalent to 100 kopiykas.
Round 14: 50, 75, 9, 8, 9, 6. Target: 393.
C1: 393. (50x8)-6-(9/9) (10)
C2: 389.
Score: 54–46 (max 101)
Shock! I felt sure both Denise and Adam were going to get ten points on this round and I almost wrote their declarations down before they spoke. As it was, only the champ collected the points to give herself a potentially useful lead going into the final round.
Round 15: T R I P L E B U N
No one buzzes. The answer was BLUEPRINT.
Final Score: 54–46 (max 111)
The deceptively tough conundrum defeats both of them and it’s left to a lady in the audience wearing a rather fetching hat to give us the solution and take home a Countdown mug to boot. With Adam failing to score for the entire third ‘half’, Denise’s 54 points are enough to see her return on Monday, while Amanda Lamb will be back in the Corner for her second run of appearances on the programme. Why not tune in at 3.25, or wait for Ryan’s Recap (if it is he) to find out whether Denise can make it three out of three?
I’ll be back this time next week when Eoin Monaghan will be taking on Niall Young in the second semi-final. Hope you can join me then.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63