c4countdown

Gavin Chipper

I hope Paul gets a good lunch and plays more keenly in the next show. A bit late for that as this was the first show of the afternoon session. Natalie was certainly a tricky opponent and on another day, she could have won. I think this just proves the importance of tactical picking. Natalie was, as...

Gavin Chipper

It would be interesting to see what Susie makes of a word like SHALLOWER, surely part of standard vocabulary for practically all English speakers but falling through the cracks in the ODE and therefore not allowable on Countdown. Unsurprisingly, the ODO redirects to SHALLOW, indicating that it is i...

Gavin Chipper

Tony Atkins wrote:
Paul Worsley wrote:R10 I wrote down

STEAMED and

M E D U S A E to ensure I had spelt it correctly.

It was a longer word on my paper!
I guess the trick is to count the letters left over and subtract from 9.

And that's the standard method right there.

Gavin Chipper

I'll watch this soon and post the correct answers. Thank you for waiting.

Gavin Chipper

my top 8 - jen steadman jen steadman jen steadman jen steadman jen steadman jen steadman jen steadman andy platt Bit weird. If you have an issue with the way in which I have represented my "Countdown Best ever contestants" ranking, please feel free to contact my HR lady; humanresourceslad...

Gavin Chipper

So are you gay or straight?

Actually that was quite an interesting post. But doesn't emotionally pansexual mean goats, horses and photocopiers are not excluded?

On the objection people have with bisexuals, they might as well say the same thing to someone that likes blondes and brunettes.

Gavin Chipper

Also CANEDEST if you're playing apterous, although I doubt it would be allowed on the show. They should allow it since they've done nothing with the rules to stop it despite the opportunity to do so. They can't disallow a word because they don't like the look of it (even though it's happened on sev...

Gavin Chipper

George Pryn wrote:my top 8 -

jen steadman
jen steadman
jen steadman
jen steadman
jen steadman
jen steadman
jen steadman
andy platt

Bit weird.

Gavin Chipper

Another good game, well played, Paul. (In my opinion, GARPIKES is unquestionably fine, regardless of its etymology. No one dictionary can hope to address, let alone resolve, all lexicographical ambiguities. However, the online dictionary seems a more comprehensive resource than the single-volume pr...

Gavin Chipper

I wonder if there will be a Scottish Countdown.

Gavin Chipper

Interestingly, Susie took her time before allowing GARPIKES, on the grounds that GARPIKE would be the plural. I also had EPIGRAMS and GRAMPIES written down, but thankfully she allowed it. Controversial again! GARPIKES isn't found in the search bar. It doesn't tell you how to pluralise it presumably...

Gavin Chipper

RIP. I thought he was already dead actually, so in a way, this is a gain.

Gavin Chipper

Tony Atkins wrote:Anyone done the first numbers yet? - it is doable. Why do folk insist on picking the hard 1L option?

(9-9)/(5-3-2)=835. Easy.

Gavin Chipper

Jon Corby wrote:Welcome Colm, and thanks for saving me the trouble of watching yesterday's episode.

"Paul Worsley" is a generic name for a Countdown contestant like "Tommy Atkins" is for a soldier so nothing's been given away.

Gavin Chipper

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. I hadn't considered that TZARDOMS was controversial at all, so Susie's deliberations had me worried. I got BAGPIPE early into the round, but never thought to put the R on the end. Durr!! It's tougher in the studio, guys! It was certainly a very good game, s...

Gavin Chipper

TZARDOMS was an interesting decision. I think it's "meant" to be a mass noun, but derivatives are never listed as such, and it doesn't find anything if you type TZARDOMS into the search bar. Still, we've been told the rules haven't changed so it's WETNESSES and DRYNESSES all the way. I do...

Gavin Chipper

TZARDOMS was an interesting decision. I think it's "meant" to be a mass noun, but derivatives are never listed as such, and it doesn't find anything if you type TZARDOMS into the search bar. Still, we've been told the rules haven't changed so it's WETNESSES and DRYNESSES all the way. I don...

Gavin Chipper

Jack Worsley wrote:You'll certainly be one to avoid in the finals.

For someone in particular...?

Gavin Chipper

Surprised there's been little mention of the Scottish Independance referendum. I'm not surprised. There's very little discussion in here any more. By the way, the current odds are about 4/1 against a "yes" vote. They were a bit lower when I checked a few days ago, but this recent panic by...

Gavin Chipper

If you edit a featured article, it doesn't appear to affect the front page version of it. How does this get sorted? You have to edit the front page, but only people with the rights to alter it can change it, and it's a set few that doesn't include me, unfortunately........... :( :cry: (P.S. Sort it...

Gavin Chipper

If you edit a featured article, it doesn't appear to affect the front page version of it. How does this get sorted?

Gavin Chipper

It's very tempting to believe that he blew his girlfriend's brains out and that he's pure evil. But how many people really do that in the real world? Well, as someone I used to work with pointed out, he did complain about the length of the prosthetic legs of the competitor that beat him in the 200 ...

Gavin Chipper

Surprised there's been little mention of the Scottish Independance referendum. I'm not surprised. There's very little discussion in here any more. By the way, the current odds are about 4/1 against a "yes" vote. They were a bit lower when I checked a few days ago, but this recent panic by...

Gavin Chipper

And I think on reflection (and checking the maxes on the wiki) maybe this game wasn't quite the ultra high standard I had assumed (albeit far above my own) - but after Jamie's debut I thought anyone who could beat him must be a relative of Julian Freeman Travers or something. HIs first game was cer...

Gavin Chipper

You don't necessarily get a reliable picture about how good someone is from an audition, which has contrived rounds and isn't long enough to get a proper ranking list of all the contestants. I think I've heard that if there are two obviously really good contestants (from the audition) then they migh...

Gavin Chipper

Going back to this, is there anything actually in the rules/guidelines about EXEUNTS/EXEUNTED etc.? If not, it's just something that someone from the Countdown team said in an unofficial capacity in some internet discussion. And that would make EXEUNTS still valid in any reasonable sense.

Gavin Chipper

Round 11 - FEINTER to equal the contestants. Same reasoning.

Gavin Chipper

Also GAUCHER as an equaller in round 4. Just pointing it out because the dictionary doesn't like it but we've been told the rules haven't changed even if they conflict with the dictionary, so tough shit - I'm having it.

Gavin Chipper

5×(3+5)×75/3-8=992. (Standard method)

Gavin Chipper

Surprised there's been little mention of the Scottish Independance referendum. I'm interested to know what peoples thoughts are here. I don't know too much about it but from what I have seen I think a yes vote would be a bad idea. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise though. It's interesting. At l...

Gavin Chipper

James Robinson wrote:Just seen this interesting article that I read in today's i newspaper, featuring our favourite forum god : http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 19546.html

I thought Kirk was God.

Gavin Chipper

Very high standard for a prelim. Jamie would surely have been an octochamp with David's opponents.

Gavin Chipper

Jamie writes with a very loud pen, possibly a felt tip. Also Nick should have gone to Susie with an obscure word like FACTOTUM for the teatime teaser!

Gavin Chipper

My brain had a low-level short circuit on Friday night, resulting in this- The dream kicked off with the news that Rachel Riley had been kidnapped. I take this as a cue to assemble a band of apterites to investigate the crime. There are 32 of us in total (despite the fact that later, we all manage ...

Gavin Chipper

Jon Corby wrote:Yeah, I realised after I wrote it that both methods require the same bracketage if written optimally, but I didn't wNt to address that for fear of wasting more brackets - a concern you obviously don't share, you selfish prick.

For every bracket I use, I plant another.

Gavin Chipper

Jon Corby wrote:Or just 8 + 4 + 10 + 3 to make the 25 if, like me, you care about the planet and want to save brackets.

James over-brackets anyway. If he got it your way, it would be like (((((((((((((8))+4))+10))+3))*(((((25)))))-6))))).

Gavin Chipper

That's high treason. I'm mortally offended.

Gavin Chipper

There was a lot of noise where I was watching today, but did DC definitely say EXEUNTS rather than EXEUNT? I thought it was decided somewhere that they weren't going to allow it (along with FLORUITED), and the ODO search bar doesn't like it. Also should MEIOW be MIAOW? Here is the discussion, althou...

Gavin Chipper

Mark Deeks wrote:

Wow, how much did it cost to stay there?

Gavin Chipper

For that bargain price, in addition to entry to the tournament, you will get the annual COLIN goodie bag, which this year will include pens, notepads and, of course, the latest edition of the puzzle mag , which for 2015 is going to include more than just puzzles- the rumours (if there were any) are...

Gavin Chipper

For that bargain price, in addition to entry to the tournament, you will get the annual COLIN goodie bag, which this year will include pens, notepads and, of course, the latest edition of the puzzle mag , which for 2015 is going to include more than just puzzles- the rumours (if there were any) are...

Gavin Chipper

Tony Atkins wrote:Nice 5 from Szelong - the other 5s are more obscure.

Was disappointed to only make 584 on first numbers, but Rachel (and the computer) agrees.

582 was more straightforward though (using the standard method).

Gavin Chipper

Horrible letters today.

Gavin Chipper

Pottages not allowed on apterous so gatepost a good alternative. Susie did say OK, even thought the count noun sense for POTAGE isn't mentioned in POTTAGE, so presumably she allowed it in the mass food sense............ :roll: And it finds it if you search for it, so that's a good reason to allow it.

Gavin Chipper

Do we know if HEJIRA is ok in ODO? Looks like it's capitalised while only HEGIRA is under the non-capitalised version. The search bar is especially unhelpful on this. I'd say it's OK because the alternate spellings are above and outside the whole of section 1 (1, 1.1 and 1.2) so it seems that they ...

Gavin Chipper

Have you all got a valid passport?

Gavin Chipper

szodiac wrote:round 5: (the Crewing round)- you may have to double check me on this beater but ERUCTING is OK in Collins but I believe is new to Countdown as ODO under ERICTATION lists ERUCT (derivative) as a verb....

Mauro

ERUCTING is fine.

Gavin Chipper

Fred Mumford wrote:Bowl bespattering in your own home is of course more of a concern than if you are using a public toilet or are chez someone you don't like much. Depends on your morals I guess.

And then of course there's bowel spattering, which is another thing entirely.

Gavin Chipper

What to people make of people who piss directly into the water so that they make as much noise as possible rather than pissing off to the side? I think they're pretty bad people. But spraying noise out of the bowl is surely better than spraying piss? You're not spraying piss by just not pissing dir...

Gavin Chipper

People who do the "ice bucket challenge".

Gavin Chipper

What to people make of people who piss directly into the water so that they make as much noise as possible rather than pissing off to the side? I think they're pretty bad people.

Gavin Chipper

Andy McGurn wrote:Well, I liked Douglas. Its good to see someone a bit different on the show

Yeah - I was disappointed he lost.

Gavin Chipper

Cheers Steven, would have missed this otherwise. I didn't really even bother trying to get tickets, too pricey and no real indication of the standard of show you would see. She might be terrible these days! How much were the too pricey tickets? I don't think anyone in this thread is easily shocked,...

Gavin Chipper

The Co Events as far as I know...they were the only ones i knew about 10 years ago!....and is that a yes, might be interested, Jon...or are you looking for a debate :) Yeah, I thought that's what you meant, which I didn't think was the case. I thought COLIN was the first (in England, was there one(...

Gavin Chipper

I just need to say Fred (that in the absence of "Likes" - you may not remember those), I have been enjoying your work here over the past few months and I'm pretty much part of your fan club. Who is this Fred Mumford though? It's a (Rentaghost) pseudonym, right? So I want to know all about...

Gavin Chipper

What's the average number of vowels and consonants per selection?

Gavin Chipper

James Laverty wrote:This may well have be asked before, but how different would the seedings of recent series be if games were scored in Stepdown scoring?

It has. By you.

Gavin Chipper

Very well done that man - I make the max 145 so only 8 points dropped and he had seen one of them. That's the equal 7th highest score according to CDB. Old 15-round scores don't count. I had a flick through the Wiki (so might have missed something) and I think Glen Webb's 141 is the record with 137...

Gavin Chipper

Jon Corby wrote:Yeah, not sure that really works mate.

Well, it does. It's probably too many levels of abstraction for your mind though.

Gavin Chipper

Jon Corby wrote:Do you fucking want some, Gev?

Yeah, look in the other thread.

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