c4countdown

Peter Mabey

At work recently someone (probably me) wondered aloud what was the longest word that's also a valid hexadecimal number (i.e. uses only the letters A-F). I thought it was DEFACED, then a coworker came up with Fabaceae . I thought that might be a word worth remembering, but it turns out that it's inv...

Peter Mabey

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/09 ... _acronyms/

Peter Mabey

I was sad too that chemistry wasn't chosen - might the question have been have been Nobel winners

Peter Mabey

Yesterday the Co-op gave me a voucher for £2 off if I spend over £20, which is pretty useless as I rarely spend as much as £10 at a time, as I don't buy my booze there

Peter Mabey

I choose "The Cooperative Cornflakes" as uncooperative ones are more than I can cope with at breakfast

Peter Mabey

If you were a frugal pedant, you might ask for a raviolo

Peter Mabey

I can't search on a phrase - if I want to find items about "Series 44", I'm given everything with "series" AND "44", which many more hits than the ones I'm looking for.

Peter Mabey

I go for Co-op cornflakes, with a small banana sliced up, plus some other fruit if I have any. Tried those Clusters once, as a result of a money-off voucher, but as they seem to be stuck together with loads of sugar, really disliked them - all the big-name cereals seem to rely on including loads of ...

Peter Mabey

INUNDATE to equal DAUNTING

Peter Mabey

Not according to ODE it's not. Hmm, different editions? I've got the SODE, and it just marks it n, OE . SODE is a completely different dictionary. The edition of SODE I have doesn't list mass nouns at all , also lists every word with a capital letter, so isn't much help for checking validity. :?

Peter Mabey

At Cambridge, I failed in the Honours, but just did well enough to be granted a Pass degree :( Is there still a mandatory Classics entrance test? - I needed Latin as well as Maths (Pure & Applied) Physics and Chemistry. That was back in 1943 - I think my equivalent grades were D(or E - anything ...

Peter Mabey

Second numbers: I assume the easy way would have been (2x50+1)x9

Peter Mabey

I've also found it interesting to look at some of the languages I don't speak. For example, from the "most frequent Hebrew words" list, I note that תרקומנה has got 11 other anagrams, which suggests a richness you wouldn't find in many European languages. This is probably because Hebrew is...

Peter Mabey

19 (in cribbage)
love, duck

Peter Mabey

Andrew Feist wrote:ferrites. Especially when DC chides me for not playing FERRATES.

Whereas NODE records FERRATE as a ferric salt, it does not have FERRITE as a ferrous one

, so it's only there as a mass noun (in two senses)

Peter Mabey

An OOPS (undo SEND) key

Peter Mabey

Eoin Monaghan wrote:I made this one up:

Moan around the French. (6)

I suspect the intended answer is FEEBLE - but if so, you've forgotten to include a definition: "Slight moan ..." would be OK.

Peter Mabey

From The Times last month:
Where one pays for the other doorbell to be fixed (8)
bordello

Peter Mabey

Kirk Bevins wrote:
Peter Mabey wrote:R9: elusion is definitely not in NODE
Even under elude?

Peter Mabey

NODE has IMPARK, so IMPARKED is OK.

I think you meant prefixes, if you were commenting on the conundrum.

Peter Mabey

R7: ORPIMENT isn't described in NODE as a mass noun, and is also defined as an artist's pigment, so probably ORPIMENTS would be OK. :? Hmmm, bit of controversy here... it is listed exclusively as a mass noun in my copy of the NODE. Apropos the 'mineral rule', that wasn't introduced until the start ...

Peter Mabey

When's David Cameron going to apologise for his grotesque blunder in Washington: "In 1940 we were the junior partners [to the USA]..." In 1940 Britain didn't have any significant partners in its war against Germany, least of all the USA, where it was an imprisonable offence to take part in...

Peter Mabey

Chris Davies wrote:QUANTUS is listed as valid on apterous and CountMax, but I can't find it in the ODE and definitions of the word on the Internet seem to be non-existent.

Not in NODE either, of course - except in etymology of QUANTUM

Peter Mabey

Peter Mabey

Howard Somerset wrote:Can someone with access to the NODE please check WAGERED. Recap writer suprisingly didn't find it.

WAGER is in as both noun and verb, so although WAGERED is not mentioned explicitly the NODE accepts that as a regular form.

Peter Mabey

R8: WOYLIE - from NODE - a nocturnal rat-kangaroo, alternative name brush-tailed bettong

http://www.quantum-conservation.org/EEP ... TTONG.html

Peter Mabey

When you drive from Yorkshire into Lancashire you are greeted by signs that say "Welcome to Lancashire - Where Everyone Matters". Who can see that without wondering what the signs on the other side of the road welcoming you to Yorkshire say? This is Yorkshire - and you're welcome to it. :D

Peter Mabey

R9: elusion is definitely not in NODE

Peter Mabey

R7: ORPIMENT isn't described in NODE as a mass noun, and is also defined as an artist's pigment, so probably ORPIMENTS would be OK.

Peter Mabey

First numbers/; I've hardly played any apterous, but 465 looked pretty easy to me.
465=5x93, giving 15 (=6+9) x 31 (=25+5+1)

Peter Mabey

R11: POLONY is a variant of BOLOGNA - i.e. sausage (and probable origin of BALONEY

)

Peter Mabey

Ryan Taylor wrote:Interestingly MARLIEST is listed in the recap as valid in round 13. Why was it disallowed at the time?

NODE does have MARLY, but not MARLIEST explicitly - what was rule about superlatives in 2002?

Peter Mabey

Ben Hunter wrote:
Peter Mabey wrote:R13

Can't remember there being two Es in that round...

- now rechecked on 4+1

Peter Mabey

Peter Mabey

Charlie Reams wrote:
Chris Philpot wrote:I would be willing to recap a handful from Series 47. In the meantime, can someone please confirm whether or not SIMURGS was in the NODE, and if so what it means?
I can answer half of that for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simurgh

Yes it is in

Peter Mabey

FATIGUES in round 1 - haven't looked for a picture

Peter Mabey

I've a NODE (reprinted 2001 with corrections) too, and am willing to help if required. Would you be able to confirm whether or not CAPEJUT was available in the NODE? (And, if it is, what on earth does it mean?! ;)) Many thanks! CAJEPUT? CAJEPUT is an aromatic oil similar to eucalyptus oil, also an ...

Peter Mabey

I've a NODE (reprinted 2001 with corrections) too, and am willing to help if required.

Peter Mabey

2 point difference in max due to ATHELING (R8) and MELANOID (R12). How do I check these were valid? I think David Williams has graciously volunteered to double-check them, so try dropping him an email. My 2001 NODE says its 'reprinted with corrections', so assuming it's the one used. they are both ...

Peter Mabey

In round 11, I think Gino said "curva", explaining it as a bend.

Peter Mabey

James Robinson wrote: Well, hardly anyone does what their surname suggests do they

Well, I might

Peter Mabey

For a bull, you could choose any letter (including JQVWX or Z)

Peter Mabey

DROMOI is the plural of DROMOS - an ancient Greek racecourse. (For Origins of Words fans, that's the source for all those words ending in -drome

)

Peter Mabey

After getting a solution before the clock started, he wanted some way to pass the time

Peter Mabey

oops

(I must remember to note the selection before posting, so I can recheck

)

Peter Mabey

Also OVERAGES

Peter Mabey

I think the vegan champion who refused them on ethical grounds got a better prize, as the CD-ROM given in lieu is of more practical use. :) By the way. I do own a copy of the compact edition, which I found secondhand for £14, though I've not opened it recently, having signed up for free access via t...

Peter Mabey

My vote would be for 'undefined', as it doesn't seem possible to identify a set of equally-likely cases.

Peter Mabey

Chris said only 5, I'm AFRAID, having missed that

Peter Mabey

I voted 'other' because I regarded Jess as like one of those toys that live on parcel shelves (when I had a car there were a seal and a pig) - I don't remember Jess doing anything

Peter Mabey

How about a variant where you scored more for using awkward letters? (eg JQVXZ might count double)

Probably need to avoid Scrabble values to keep Mattel/Hasbro lawyers away

Peter Mabey

I only need one bit of information about any football match, as I find it even more boring than the Eurovision thing - I never bothered to find out who won that.

(The bit is whether England won, as I'll have to respond appropriately if the topic comes up in conversation.

)

Peter Mabey

I found a solution for one clue, but had to google for the complete set of possibilities.

No difficulty in completing puzzle, once I had these.

Peter Mabey

Jim Treloar wrote:Peter Mabey - Fucoid. Another edit during recording. Susie DID use the pencam at first and then realised some other word (I wouldn't know which!!) was in view. "Oops", I think was the remark, that's why it finished up as transmitted.

The entry above FUCOID is FUCKWIT

Peter Mabey

I noticed that Susie refrained from using the pencam on FUCOID, so we didn't see the previous entry

Peter Mabey

Joseph Bolas wrote:... it would be nice if a Scrabble club .... were set up in Liverpool.

See here http://www.absp.org.uk/clubs.html

Peter Mabey

The only board game I get to play regularly nowadays is Scrabble, but I agree that of the named ones Settlers comes out top. (Only play friendly socials with other OAPs , so we have the official wordlists available to check plays & correct errors without penalty :) ) I used to enjoy 1853, but ha...

Peter Mabey

James Robinson wrote:3rd Numbers Alts.: (50 x 6) + 75 + 10 + 4 + 1 = 390 OR ((75 + 10) x 4) + 50 = 390

An even simpler one is: (75 - 10) x 6 = 390

Peter Mabey

Was also surprised that DC didn't add the D to LEISURE

Peter Mabey

JackHurst wrote:I'm gonna be brutally honest. They are fucking shite. I dont feel the need to back this opinion up, because you really just have to look at them for half a second to see this.

IAWTP

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