Search found 146 matches
- Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:02 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Which words are the most useful to know?
- Replies: 92
- Views: 39757
Re: Which words are the most useful to know?
I would be willing to bet that in games in Apterous where each player is 1500 rated or higher, the player that spots a 9 goes onto win at a significantly higher percentage than 87%. I'd make the same bet for players within 200 rating points of each other. On reflection, I think this bet would be a ...
- Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:09 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Which words are the most useful to know?
- Replies: 92
- Views: 39757
Re: Which words are the most useful to know?
Sorry to bump. I've worked with Rob using his spreadsheet previously (which is imo one of the best resources for letters round learning). A few observations, mostly on the usefulness of 9s, which I'd suggest should be higher than is currently valued: 9s importance There are a few reasons why I think...
- Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:26 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Countdown Resources
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2301
Countdown Resources
Countdown Resources is a website created in the aftermath of the Champion of Champions series. I wanted to leave something to the Countdown Community given that I'll be on much less now. I realised that in-depth tips and knowledge of Countdown technique have not been turned into articles available t...
- Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:06 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Tuesday 8th January 2019 (COC XV, game 5)
- Replies: 14
- Views: 10977
Re: Spoilers for Tuesday 8th January 2019 (COC XV, game 5)
It was always gonna be a 50/50 game decided by fine margins. My gamble that HISTONE was less likely to pluralise than noshiest^ was to be a valid word didn't pay off. RELEASOR beat me all ends up, and that's how tight games fall. I was pleased to have a good moment in picking for and getting AUTODYN...
- Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:13 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 8 August 2018 (Series 79, Prelim 31)
- Replies: 25
- Views: 15539
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 8 August 2018 (Series 79, Prelim 31)
It seems so. It's also invalid on Apterous, which surprises me, since you'd expect Apterous to more rigidly follow the rules For the avoidance of doubt in future shows, we've decided from now on that ALL 1-syllable adjectives can be extended with -er and -est, even though it'll be difficult to unde...
- Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:50 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Which words are the most useful to know?
- Replies: 92
- Views: 39757
Re: Which words are the most useful to know?
This is really great!
- Thu Jun 21, 2018 6:51 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Marked irregular plurals taken down en masse?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 4078
Re: Marked irregular plurals taken down en masse?
Ah thanks so much. Makes much more sense now.
- Thu Jun 21, 2018 3:39 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Marked irregular plurals taken down en masse?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 4078
Marked irregular plurals taken down en masse?
I’ve noticed a few words which had irregular plurals specifically marked, eg THALAMI, KNEIDLACH, a few -um endings becoming -a in the plural, no longer have those plurals in. Have Oxford Dictionaries simply taken them down en masse? Have they taken them all down? Are they marked in the premium versi...
- Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:26 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 27th September 2017 (Series 77, Prelim 61)
- Replies: 7
- Views: 4796
- Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:48 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Best ways to improve your Countdowning skills...
- Replies: 23
- Views: 15783
Re: Best ways to improve your Countdowning skills...
Here's a broadly finalised version. Please let me know if you have any comments, suggestions or encounter any issues.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... -DnWnNaAx8
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... -DnWnNaAx8
- Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:13 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Best ways to improve your Countdowning skills...
- Replies: 23
- Views: 15783
Re: Best ways to improve your Countdowning skills...
I've now completed the list, although it's not yet absolutely perfect. Please let me know if you'd like it!
- Wed Jul 26, 2017 4:06 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Best ways to improve your Countdowning skills...
- Replies: 23
- Views: 15783
Re: Best ways to improve your Countdowning skills...
Yo I'm compiling a complete list of words, using the newly updated dictionary, ranked according to their usefulness, so you can simply learn the words in order. Hoping to get it done tonight. pm me if you would like it, with your email address. I'd also be very interested in your feedback on its acc...
- Wed Jul 26, 2017 4:01 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Curious about the CD recording process
- Replies: 28
- Views: 18666
Re: Curious about the CD recording process
I was 2-6 - this sounds like it is a thing.
- Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:22 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Friday 23rd December 2016 (Grand Final)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 5866
Re: Spoilers for Friday 23rd December 2016 (Grand Final)
Congratulations Martin on the win and excellent play throughout - a more than worthy successor
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 11:15 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Grand Final Spoilers For Friday June 24th 2016
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4286
Re: Grand Final Spoilers For Friday June 24th 2016
Thank you very much all for the kind comments! As mentioned before, Ann was an incredible opponent, and a fantastic person and Countdowner. I'd say MYOGLOBIN is the better spot as it's more "natural" a spot - one doesn't learn it as a word game word, as it were. But I'm very flattered if p...
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 11:10 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers For Wednesday June 22nd 2016
- Replies: 13
- Views: 5649
Re: Spoilers For Wednesday June 22nd 2016
Thanks very much all for the kind comments again! Conrad had me bricking it here... really didn't fancy the crucial. And as he said, another 10 seconds and he'd have got it. I considered that method but never had the time to properly look for the right numbers to make it work. Conrad getting KATIPO ...
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 11:05 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers For Monday June 20th 2016
- Replies: 13
- Views: 4981
Re: Spoilers For Monday June 20th 2016
Incredible game and a real testament to Ann's mental strength to come through this and get the conundrum. I instantly regretted being in the local Salford department store for the morning and missing this classic... Tim also showed how incredibly well he'd come on from his octorun to push Ann so har...
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 11:00 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Friday 10th June 2016
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4120
Re: Spoilers for Friday 10th June 2016
I guess now all's been said and done I might as well comment on all of the ones I would have commented on, on the day. Thank you very much for the kind compliments! Tony was a really great guy on the set and behind the scenes. I was very nervous at the start, but I'm not sure it affected my play tha...
- Fri Jun 24, 2016 11:38 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Countdown mentions on other shows
- Replies: 315
- Views: 152623
Re: Countdown mentions on other shows
Apparently one of the games was on gogglesprogs tonight? I'll let someone else expand...
- Fri May 27, 2016 9:39 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 26 May 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 76)
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2695
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 26 May 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 76)
I believe this breaks the record for the longest period that anyone has stayed on 0 for?
- Mon May 23, 2016 10:41 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 19 May 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 70)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 3755
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 19 May 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 70)
Yeah PAULDIES was an alt form of PALLALL.
http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... #r26173558 :3
btw I'm not dead.
http://www.apterous.org/viewgame.php?ga ... #r26173558 :3
btw I'm not dead.
- Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:00 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Friday 15 April 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 52)
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2026
Re: Spoilers for Friday 15 April 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 52)
The best compliment for a great game on here is very few posts telling you how you could have done it better. This is a fine example of that.
- Thu Mar 10, 2016 8:00 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 10 March 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 34)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4528
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 10 March 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 34)
Very well played there. LONGUEUR in the LOUNGER round
- Tue Mar 08, 2016 12:24 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday March 3rd 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 29)
- Replies: 8
- Views: 3000
Re: Spoilers for Thursday March 3rd 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 29)
US Dictionary is ok; US spellings aren't (see donut). This confused me for a while. Both RAILBEDS and BEDRAILS are valid.
- Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:35 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: COREA16 - Saturday 26th March 2016
- Replies: 20
- Views: 23131
Re: COREA16 - Saturday 26th March 2016
In please!
- Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:29 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Tuesday March 1st 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 27)
- Replies: 10
- Views: 4249
- Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:51 am
- Forum: Countdown - Current recaps
- Topic: Tuesday 23 February 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 22)
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1245
Re: Tuesday 23 February 2016 (Series 74, Prelim 22)
Bang on - I was indeed going for GLIOMATA
- Wed Feb 24, 2016 8:13 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 24th February (Series 74 Prelim 23)
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1831
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 24th February (Series 74 Prelim 23)
Very bad luck with that final vowel pick in the last letters round Paul -- you were of course fishing for a U, and I fully expected you to get one as there hadn't been any in the two rounds previous either. A bit like how I fished for an E in game 2 for NEOPLASIA with the current selection at PIANO...
- Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:33 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 17th February
- Replies: 11
- Views: 3315
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 17th February
ESSAYED in the SUEDES round. Also, in my opinion, the decision made on SUEDES was "It's not in, but you get the points anyway." Yes, but in the brochure they give contestants, there is a dictionary guidance section which gives the classes of noun which may be allowed on Countdown even tho...
- Wed Feb 10, 2016 10:01 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 10 February 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 13)
- Replies: 16
- Views: 4377
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 10 February 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 13)
ENMASKED is listed as valid on Apterous. Sigh. It is valid indeed. ENMASK an alternative spelling of INMASK, but the search bar doesn't find ENMASKED. Susie should always check the non-inflected word. I don't understand this at all - if you've spent even a little bit of time on the ODO since its ma...
- Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:54 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers For Monday February 8th 2016
- Replies: 7
- Views: 3285
Re: Spoilers For Monday February 8th 2016
Would you allow PARIGOTS... and more importantly would susie allow it?
Intenders/indenters
Intenders/indenters
- Sun Feb 07, 2016 10:09 pm
- Forum: apterous.org
- Topic: Is Apterous down? [DO NOT POST IN THIS TOPIC FOR ANY OTHER REASON]
- Replies: 604
- Views: 392257
Re: Is Apterous down?
Looks like it's down?
- Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:19 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 3 February 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 8)
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1825
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 3 February 2016 (Series 74 Prelim 8)
Managed three beaters in the first two rounds...haven't got further in the game. MANOAOS
- Sat Feb 06, 2016 12:47 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ask Graeme?
- Replies: 1743
- Views: 766432
Re: Ask Graeme?
Wouldn't that unfairly discriminate in favour of strong numbers players in the new 15 era and strong letters players in the old 15 era, to have a conversion chart 'blind' to letters and numbers round differences?
- Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:53 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: CoC Grand Final Spoilers For Friday January 22nd 2016
- Replies: 69
- Views: 20821
Re: CoC Grand Final Spoilers For Friday January 22nd 2016
Superb game - METACONID was a fantastic spot by Dan - I missed it. Dylan played a pretty much perfect game - I missed EULOGIST too - the numbers and conundrum work were top top drawer. I hate to be negative on such an occasion but I'm afraid it has to be done. To a small extent, some of the games ha...
- Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:11 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: CoC Quarter-Final 4 Spoilers For Tuesday January 19th 2016
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4749
Re: CoC Quarter-Final 4 Spoilers For Tuesday January 19th 2016
REPOURING is a new entry to the dictionary which is why Dan and Mark weren't sure. It was a good risk though - those sort of silly but half-reasonable words are mostly now in...
- Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:27 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
I totally agree Rob. For the majority of the examples in Graeme's link (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/ize-ise-or-yse), Oxford Dictionaries has said you can't use the Z because "-ise is part of a longer word element rather than being a separate ending in its own right." For ones l...
- Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:38 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
The import I suppose of the ruling is that it is now unclear whether http://www.apterous.org/lexplorer.php?word=nectarise is valid, as it's not listed in the OED: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... /nectarize.
- Mon Jan 18, 2016 12:28 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
My bad - I read 'most' as 'all'!
- Mon Jan 18, 2016 12:53 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
Update: I asked Countdown about these and they said they would be disallowed (though each word would be judged on a case by case basis). While all ISE can be IZE, it doesn't work the other way round.
- Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:03 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: CoC Preliminary 3 Spoilers For Wednesday January 6th 2016
- Replies: 21
- Views: 5420
Re: CoC Preliminary 3 Spoilers For Wednesday January 6th 2016
Great quality game, vwp to both. Doubt I'd have seen the 9 in the studio. Was chuffed to spot ISPAGHUL in r12.
- Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:15 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Post your audition/filming/transmission dates here
- Replies: 417
- Views: 124440
Re: Post your audition/filming/transmission dates here
Filming 1st Feb and, if I make it, 2nd Feb.
- Sat Dec 19, 2015 12:38 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers For Friday December 18th 2015
- Replies: 22
- Views: 6370
Re: Spoilers For Friday December 18th 2015
Despite the hansfording I thought John played it in the right spirit. Always smiling, cracking jokes. Very well played matthew. Addictive was a brilliant spot. OUTLINEAR as an alt to uranolite/tile
- Wed Dec 16, 2015 7:57 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers For Wednesday December 16th 2015
- Replies: 12
- Views: 2960
Re: Spoilers For Wednesday December 16th 2015
MAISEYS/MAYSIES as alt spellings of MAISES
- Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:23 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5576
Re: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
If the plural isn't specified, then you just apply normal English plural rules, as much as you may expect otherwise from the origin. So add S or ES, or -Y -> -IES. If it points to a mass noun without being listed as a mass noun, I'd expect it to be disallowed, but it's a grey area. OPALINES iirc ha...
- Wed Dec 09, 2015 12:52 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5576
Re: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
Great post Rob I agree with all of the above except that GOINTERED* isn't about semantics really; it's about possible grammar, and tenses. It's not about the meaning of the verb (the matter of going) but the actual tense that the word is in, and whether the tense that the inflection would put the ve...
- Wed Dec 09, 2015 1:22 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
To make things more confusing: MINORIZE doesn't appear to have the -ISE variant anywhere http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... h/minorize. This would be a pretty useful verb...
- Wed Dec 09, 2015 12:31 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5576
Re: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
And would this pluralise at all? http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... h/relaxion - see "=relaxation" which is a mass noun?
Similar: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... h/melitose
Similar: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... h/melitose
- Wed Dec 09, 2015 12:22 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5576
- Tue Dec 08, 2015 1:33 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
I suppose it's because PAGANIZER is a separate entry, and it's one of those new crappy entries that isn't proper. Yes - so would Susie see behind it, or have instructions to automatically allow any -ISE declaration if -IZE is in and vice versa? If not, it's gonna get extremely confusing and interna...
- Tue Dec 08, 2015 1:07 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
It gets weirder with PAGANISER because PAGANISE/S/D are allowed alongside the Z version, so it's even more arbitrary that PAGANISER wouldn't be allowed:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... #pagan__14
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... #pagan__14
- Tue Dec 08, 2015 12:58 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
Re: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
Yeah - it just seems a bit strange that something ending in -IZE wouldn't be allowed in -ISE. Even if not specifically in there.
- Tue Dec 08, 2015 12:57 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5576
Re: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
Thanks - my thoughts too.
- Mon Dec 07, 2015 10:22 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
- Replies: 33
- Views: 10311
New -IZE words, whose -ISE variants come up blank in the search tool and are not specified
There are a few new ODO words like http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/paganizer?q=PAGANIZER which don't have the ISE variant specified. When you search for the ISE variant you get http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/spellcheck/english/?q=PAGANISER. Others: PATINIZE So Susie wouldn't ...
- Mon Dec 07, 2015 10:17 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5576
Plurals of new unmarked Latinate words
TEGULA http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/tegula?q=TEGULA is an established dictionary word with Latin background, and its plural is specified as -ae. PAENULA http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/paenula?q=PAENULA is a new entry with Latin background, but has no spe...
- Sat Nov 28, 2015 4:23 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoliers for Friday 27th November 2015
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2306
Re: Spoliers for Friday 27th November 2015
When else has the conundrum been a word with 2 anagrams where you have to get the other word? Don't think I've seen that before except from teatime teasers
- Sat Nov 28, 2015 12:10 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 26th November 2015
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2932
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 26th November 2015
I've been very impressed with James. Doesn't miss much.
EXTROPIAN
EXTROPIAN
- Sat Nov 21, 2015 12:01 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 18th November 2015
- Replies: 20
- Views: 7858
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 18th November 2015
Congratulations Matthew, very well deserved. The other contestant seemed the loveliest man. Gweilos was the 7 in the gospel round.
- Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:04 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 11 November 2015 (Series 73 Prelim 91)
- Replies: 16
- Views: 4890
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 11 November 2015 (Series 73 Prelim 91)
Jambeaux and adductor superb spots. I just had beaux to Tonys jamb :p
Demiurge was one of the 8s, which I hit.
Demiurge was one of the 8s, which I hit.
- Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:21 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: The restaurant rule
- Replies: 17
- Views: 3942
The restaurant rule
Just watching an old series of countdown and dictionary corner was discussing whether ravioli could be pluaralised, deciding that it couldn't be becaus it was already plural. The plural isn't allowed on apterous. Would it be allowed on countdown under the restaurant rule, since you can have two ravi...