c4countdown

Peter Mabey

As 575=25x23, Clive's route seemed the obvious way to go, but didn't get there in time - though as I'm pretty good at spotting factors, I consequentially often miss an easy way. :geek: When Jimmy buzzed for the conundrum, I thought STIMMING? - but then realised (a) too few letters & (b) probably...

Peter Mabey · Re: Spoilers, Tuesday 19/05/2009 Alternative 2nd numbers: 4x(50+3x(8-1))

Alternative 2nd numbers: 4x(50+3x(8-1))

Peter Mabey

Another alternative R14: (50+8)x(25-9)/2

Peter Mabey

... with the right environment women can compete with men at the top level. The reason for the absence of top women players may have as much to do with gender bias (in the minds of trainers, parents, i.e. anybody in a position to offer support to a blossoming player); inequality of opportunity etc ...

Peter Mabey

I'm not surprised that Scrabblers don't do particularly well, as the vocabulary available is significantly different from the Countdown one.
Even though I'm only an unrated social player, in most weeks I spot a DC equaller or beater which turns out to be invalid.

Peter Mabey

Eoin Monaghan wrote:I know a company called 'Brush' cleaning.

There's a firm hereabouts calling themselves 'Token Cleaning Services' - OK if you only need "a lick and a promise".

Peter Mabey

I know a guy called Chris Peacock. That's probably the best I've got. That reminds me that when I was at Gloster Aircraft, I worked with a guy named Harry Peacock. Not worth comment as such, except that his section was the 'flutter' group, and also included Cec Partridge, Terry Heron and Pat Woodco...

Peter Mabey

Alternative second numbers: (25-8)x(8x5+6)=782

Peter Mabey

Andy Wilson wrote:They've done it! They've discovered the source of the swine flu!

Even Gyles admitted that Susie was looking at him

Peter Mabey

STODGIER

Peter Mabey

ORISON

Peter Mabey

4. SUBCONTINENTAL

With thanks to Quinapalus

Peter Mabey

David Roe wrote:I wonder if all this lung disease was made worse by the smoke from the boiler? I can't imagine it would help.

More likely the dust from the coal - remember the miners' death toll, too.

Peter Mabey

I think that there are a good many UN- words valid in Scrabble but not Countdown, though I've not done a survey.
Yesterday UNMAILED turned out to be unacceptable.

(and UNPOSTED & UNSENT are too)

Peter Mabey

LASSOER as an alternative to OARLESS

Peter Mabey

I got 5.2, default aspect ratio of my display made right angles look wrong.

Will try again when I've altered it.

Peter Mabey

I also missed the whole point of this. I was going to compare it to member's ratings, but now realise that votes are private. SO unless people tell me what they chose, it's not really going to work!. I went for other, because I don't have any dietary specialties etc but nor do I eat anything and ev...

Peter Mabey

Anyone who's read the original Heinlein story will know that a WALDO isn't the sort of remote control that hides under the sofa cushions. It actually is used for remote handling of dangerous materials (especially radioactive ones) and consists of a glove connected to a mechanical manipulator. http:/...

Peter Mabey

Kevin Thurlow wrote:Phil is right - it goes back a long time. ...
The BBC man even said "yes" a couple of times.

Nowadays he'd have said "absolutely"

Peter Mabey

There isn't a street view hereabouts yet, but here's a birdseye view ;) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/mpl?moduleurl=http:%2F%2Fmaps.google.co.uk%2Fhelp%2Fmaps%2Fstreetview%2Fmapplet.html&mapclient=google&ie=UTF8&ll=51.764032,0.121888&spn=0.000857,0.001727&t=h&z=19&lci=com...

Peter Mabey

Chambers' dictionary defines colin as 'the Virginian quail', so it's OK in Scrabble, even though it's not a Countdown word.

Peter Mabey

Second numbers alternative: (100+9x7)x2=326

Peter Mabey

MOISTURE

As I'd started a redundant thread for today, I'll mention here too that I didn't need Rachel's method , as 651 = (25+6)x3x7

Peter Mabey

Easier way for 651: (25+6)x7x3

Peter Mabey

I did it using only the smalls - (6-1)x2x7x10

Peter Mabey

Jason Larsen wrote: Also, I didn't know UK Mother's Day was in March. US Mother's Day is in May (the second Sunday, in fact.)

Mother's Day here is the fourth Sunday in Lent, so it moves with Easter - see Wikipedia.

Thanks to all for birthday greetings.

Peter Mabey

Alternative second numbers: 9x25+3=228;228x4-1=911

Best I can find for first is: (9+7+1)x(5x8-1)=663

Peter Mabey

I was hoping for GRANULOSE, but it's Scrabble only.

Peter Mabey

Number 5:There isn't one - being now part of the Eurozone, they use the international euro.

Peter Mabey

There are plenty of sentences where recasting them to move the preposition away from the end gives a very awkward result, e.g. "The children knew what I was looking at." and some where even a simple sentence would require major surgery to remove the trailing preposition, e.g. "The do...

Peter Mabey

I don't think ghosts are spirits of the departed, but there seem to be too many experiences on record to dismiss out of hand - I'm inclined to go for the 'Stone Tape' theory. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_Tape ) When I was living in Cheltenham, one of my friends' home was next door to ...

Peter Mabey

Rosemary Roberts wrote:Can we take it that the four people in favour of a filter are not professional programmers? Perhaps there are some that work, but they generally seem to make themselves and the associated a forum a laughing-stock.

People living in Scunthorpe and Penistone have problems, too.

Peter Mabey

[quote="D Eadie" ...there are more E's than any other vowel.[/quote] How many are there, then? - although I think 3 the same of each one occurs occasionally, (without digging into the archives) I don't recall having ever seen 4 E's. :? I'm no expert in probability theory, but would not be ...

Peter Mabey

Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote: most people associate tannin with tea.
I thought that too, was quite surprised the the ODE's definition didn't mention it.

... nor red wine, my preferred source.

Peter Mabey

I have been away for a few days and have only just caught up with this. My main experience with a sandwich was an evening with Danny Stanford and his missus. It was going quite well but, and it may well have been because of the gloom, Danny touched me unexpectedly, and, I have to say, inappropiatel...

Peter Mabey

As dividing 10 by 9 leaves remainder 1, any digit followed by any number of 0s leaves that digit as remainder on dividing by 9. Write your number as a sum like that, and you're done. (e.g. 486 -> 400+80+6, so remainder is same as that of 4+8+6=18 - obviously 0) As the sum of digits of a multi-digit ...

Peter Mabey

Peter Mabey wrote: This gives an idea for a variation on the Anagrams thread.

To avoid people with short names getting too much of advantage, don't add more letters than already there when making a composite anagram!

Peter Mabey

When I make myself a sandwich lunch I start with two slices of bread, spread & fill to taste and put them together. Then I cut the assembled sandwich into 8 roughly triangular pieces for ease in eating - if anyone interrupted to ask if I'd finished my sandwich, I'd say no, as I wouldn't think of...

Peter Mabey

If not in order, Word Matcher gives me 826 solutions up to 9 letters. (Without deleting capitalised or multi-word ones.)

I liked PETER + ARSY = SPARE TYRE

This gives an idea for a variation on the Anagrams thread.

Peter Mabey

With thanks to Quinapalus Word Matcher http://www.quinapalus.com/matcher.html I've found the following, restricting the search to words in which my name occurs in order. 5 letters peter 6 letters pelter perter pester peters petter pewter 7 letters pearter peatery peatier pelters pesters petered pett...

Peter Mabey

Junaid Mubeen wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
Peter Mabey wrote:Or else (3x75+50)x3-3
That's a lot of threes. Some would say too many.
Or even three many.

(please laugh)

Peter Mabey · Re: Spoilers & Comments, Tuesday 17/02/2009 Or else (3x75+50)x3-3

Or else (3x75+50)x3-3

Peter Mabey · Re: Spoilers & Comments, Tuesday 17/02/2009 Alternative: (75-9-1)x7=455

Alternative: (75-9-1)x7=455

Peter Mabey · Re: Spoilers & Comments, Tuesday 17/02/2009 ADHIBIT

ADHIBIT

Peter Mabey · Re: Recap for second QF of series 40 - 18/06/99 I did (10+8+1)*(50-4-3)

I did (10+8+1)*(50-4-3)

Peter Mabey

Neil Zussman wrote:Nice one Chris, not one I've heard before, so I'm pleased with myself for working this one out:
Aries and Libra. <---- Answer written in white, to avoid spoiling it for anyone else, highlight it to read.
Someone else can add the explanation.

Zodiac<--- This is why.

Peter Mabey

Chris Philpot wrote:(50-1)*(10-(5-4)-1) uses all of the six numbers.

Or else (50+5+1)*(10-4+1)

Peter Mabey

Phil, thanks again for a commendable first effort. If you really want to get into cryptic crosswords, I recommend Chambers' Crossword Companion, which combines in one handy volume Don Manley's Crossword Manual (all about setting), their Dictionary (lots of ideas for clues) and their Completer (filli...

Peter Mabey

I missed today's show - for the first time in ages :cry: and don't fancy getting up on Sun at 6am to watch repeat. :? ... or you could just watch it right now my dear Les(ley): http://www.channel4.com/video/countdown/catchup.html [/quote Last time I tried that, I got sound but no pictures. :cry: 4o...

Peter Mabey

The singers I remember from my childhood (I'm about a year older than George :!: ) are Gracie Fields and George Formby. When war broke out, I was sent away to my grandparents in the Isle of Wight, who had no electricity (or running water), though they did have a wireless set, for which the battery h...

Peter Mabey

ZAREBAS

Peter Mabey

Not having to hang around with kids any more, I'm glad to say I've not even heard of nearly all of the 'songs' mentioned. :ugeek: I'll go with the Ravel, in preference to the Albeniz. At the present, I've been enjoying R3 Mendelssohn Day on iPlayer (apart from people rabbitting on instead of getting...

Peter Mabey · Re: Spoilers for 29/01/2009, CofC semi-final #2 Or else CARIBOUS

Or else CARIBOUS

Peter Mabey

I'm going by the Bible, or at least the parts of the Bible I can recall (forgive my rusty mind), so essentially I'm going directly to the source. At school I was pretty well immunised against against that by our R.E. teacher, who told us about the findings of textual criticism. The Bible is now kno...

Peter Mabey

I used to play on wordbiz, but haven't done for yonks.
Nowadays I just play socially in a couple of local clubs (90% female OAPs). No challenges, as we have agreed word list books on the tables. (Chambers for one, Collins for the other, with dictionaries available.)

Peter Mabey

EASEMENT in round 6

Peter Mabey

I don't think it could be called "an Aspergers thing", it's more likely "a mathematician's thing": without the brackets the written equation is plain wrong. Yes - there was a somewhat acrimonious correspondence on the Crossword Centre message board on the same subject, with math...

Peter Mabey

a skidoo is a snowmobile According to the OED2r, as used by Countdown, it's as Susie reported. Oh, sorry. I did check with the online OED before posting and that just gives the snowmobile definition. Chambers gives Ski-doo as the registered name for the snowmobile, with skidoo as an alternative, th...

Peter Mabey

Welcome, George - it's good to greet an old railwayman: though my gricing days are past now I still subscribe to the RCTS. (I'll be 83 in March, and have given up driving now.) Although I was trained for the aircraft industry (at Farnborough - hi, Chris!) I did have some railway experience, as I had...

Peter Mabey

Ther is also a similar piece of cutlery very popular in the 60's calles a splade which combines a spoon fork and a bit of an excuse for a blade usefull for cake and currys as a right hand fork user it suits well anyone heard of these. I have several of these things - definitely useful for curries &...

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