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Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:00 pm
by Charlie Reams
I read an interview with Mark Nyman once in which he said how excited he'd been when, having known ONAGER for years only as an anagram of ORANGE, he'd been to the zoo and seen a real-life onager.

A similar thing happened to me today when I found IKEBANA in the Guardian crossword. The clue was "Japanese flower arranging" and had to fit I?????A. I thought of IPOMOEA and IKEBANA, and had no real idea what either meant, but they looked vaguely like Japanese orthography so I asked a friendly Japanese-speaker (never too far away in the computing world) what they meant. Ikebana fit the bill; it turns out ipomoea is a plant and the word is Greek, but it wasn't a bad guess.

Anyway this made me happy so I wanted to share it. Anyone else seen a tangelo in the wild or been given a television airdate?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:04 pm
by Michael Wallace
I think it would be interesting to know who has worn a LEOTARD, ideally with photographic evidence.

(No, not really.)

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:14 pm
by Pete Fraser
Charlie Reams wrote:Anyone else seen a tangelo in the wild?
No, the agoutis ate them all.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:15 pm
by Phil Reynolds
I've slept with a dacoit.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:37 pm
by Joseph Bolas
MIKADO has appeared a few times on Countdown and there's a packet of biscuits called Mikado

Image

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:37 pm
by Michael Wallace
Oh oh, I saw a TABLE earlier.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:44 pm
by Steve Durney
I remember in one episode of Friends Chandler offering his new flatmate a tangelo. Only time i've ever heard it mentioned outside of Countdown!

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:33 pm
by Heather Culpin
What a good thread!

I lived in New Zealand for a few years and tangelos were common there. I also had a tamarillo plant in the garden and if that hasn't turned up yet it would be a very satisfying nine.

When I was on the show one of the words I got was saltire, which was nice as it was the name of the school magazine at one of the schools I went to, named after the school crest which had a saltire on it.

One day I'm hoping to be able to afford a mansion with pantiles on the roof, a cortile, dripstones galore, and maybe a caryatid or two.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:53 pm
by Phil Reynolds
Heather Culpin wrote:I also had a tamarillo plant in the garden
Are they heavy? I just wondered 'cos, you know, there's that song that goes: "Hey sister, weigh a tamarillo..."

I'll get me coat.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:02 pm
by Ian Volante
I wear a sodalite crystal to keep up my hippy credentials. Not yet managed to scratch my backside on a mopane though.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:01 pm
by Wil Ransome
The tangelo appears in today's Independent crossword (Taste peeled melon and citrus fruit).

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:27 pm
by Rosemary Roberts
Charlie Reams wrote:Anyone else seen a tangelo in the wild or been given a television airdate?
A few years ago my garden was full of godetias. Gardening used to be one of my pastimes.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:03 am
by Karen Pearson
I had dicentras in my old garden (although I don't recall dicentras coming up in Countdown for a while) and I suspect there were a few dipterans around too.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:21 am
by David Williams
The other side of the coin. Has anyone ever seen any evidence that CIGARET, regularly trotted out as the American spelling, is actually used by anyone in the colonies?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:54 pm
by Gavin Chipper
I don't think crosswords are any more real life than Countdown (in response to a couple of posts). You might as well include Scrabble! (And Apterous)

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:48 pm
by David Roe
I've had my share of idolaters. ;)

Whatever happened to Gentoo? It was the Leotard of the 80's, but hasn't been seen since?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:35 pm
by Ian Fitzpatrick
I saw Reams come up the other day, but no one mentioned it.

I assume Kirk is smiling at Charlie and Sid in the audience when he scores his points?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:37 pm
by Matt Morrison
Ian Fitzpatrick wrote:I saw Reams come up the other day, but no one mentioned it.
Not to big myself up or anything, but http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/viewtopic. ... sed#p34717.
EDIT: That links to spoilers thread for Wednesday 4th March.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:38 pm
by Ian Fitzpatrick
Matt Morrison wrote:
Ian Fitzpatrick wrote:I saw Reams come up the other day, but no one mentioned it.
Not to big myself up or anything, but http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/viewtopic. ... sed#p34717.
I haven't got that far yet, I'm still catching up from a day out yesterday almost "working" - I don't do that often.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:14 pm
by Jimmy Gough
I was at the dentist reading about volcanoes and stuff like that and it had the words LACUNA and CALDERA - two of my favourite Countdown words. It was quite a special moment.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:38 pm
by Tyron Potts
I was browsing the BBC news website at work today and came across this article about toucans' bills, containing a favourite nine - PREDATION. Seems odd for it to be used in relation to birds' nests.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:07 pm
by Liam Tiernan
Tyron Potts wrote:I was browsing the BBC news website at work today and came across this article about toucans' bills, containing a favourite nine - PREDATION. Seems odd for it to be used in relation to birds' nests.
How do you make a soul singer out of A DEAD TOUCAN?
Answer:Hang it up to dry in the sun unil its bill withers

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:52 pm
by Joseph Krol

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:42 pm
by Eoin Monaghan
I saw MUUMUU and WAHINE in a book I was reading.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:04 pm
by Ryan Taylor
I come across loads of words that I know just from playing apterous and I'm too lazy to look them up. particularly they appear in the crossword with a recent example being: Oil giant interfered with relief work (8) and I could see an anagram of "Oil giant" was INTAGLIO but had no idea if it fit the rest of the clue so I googled INTAGLIO and it did.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:06 pm
by Kirk Bevins
I went to the Czech Republic recently and I didn't know what their currency was (I thought maybe the euro) but it was the KORUNA. I did a little dance when I found out.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:15 pm
by Jon Corby
Kirk Bevins wrote:I did a little dance when I found out.
The ma-koruna?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:38 pm
by Kirk Bevins
Jon Corby wrote:
Kirk Bevins wrote:I did a little dance when I found out.
The ma-koruna?
*like*

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:08 pm
by Jon Corby
Kirk Bevins wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
Kirk Bevins wrote:I did a little dance when I found out.
The ma-koruna?
*like*
Prahahahaha 8-)

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:26 pm
by Dinos Sfyris
I just did a tryout quiz for University Challenge. I did alright on the science and GK quiz scoring 19/50. The arts, music and humanities section was a bit more daunting. Luckily I knew what a MUSTELID was though and it boosted my score by 20% from 5/50 to 6/50 :)

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:30 pm
by Michael Wallace
Dinos Sfyris wrote:I just did a tryout quiz for University Challenge. I did alright on the science and GK quiz scoring 19/50. The arts, music and humanities section was a bit more daunting. Luckily I knew what a MUSTELID was though and it boosted my score by 20% from 5/50 to 6/50 :)
Er, wasn't the deadline for application forms the start of this week?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:35 pm
by Dinos Sfyris
No idea mate. I just turned up to the quiz what there just was.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:24 pm
by Michael Wallace
Dinos Sfyris wrote:No idea mate. I just turned up to the quiz what there just was.
I guess your uni requested extra time or something.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:32 am
by Matt Morrison
Accidentally left the TV on after Something for the Weekend, Flog It! just came on and I caught him saying "Westcountry market town" - thought I might know it, so pressed info on the sky remote and the market they are visiting in Tavistock is described as a "PANNIER market". Not sure what it is more panny than.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:23 pm
by Andy McGurn
I was having lunch with a work colleague recently who told me that her husbands job was clamping cars. While we were walking back to work from the cafe she said the street we were on was where he worked, she said eclampsia.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:57 pm
by Joseph Krol
The guy who sits next to me in Maths is an emulator all right. :(

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:10 pm
by Eoin Monaghan
Today's Google Doodle features PIEROGI.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:29 pm
by Gavin Chipper
I had a glass of ORANGE juice today.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:55 am
by Karen Pearson
Today I saw both an AGOUTI and a COATI in the rainforest in Costa Rica. The guide couldn't quite understand why I was so excited but he was impressed that I'd even heard of an agouti. The agouti, in case anyone is interested, is like a very large guinea pig and the coati (male, white-nosed coati to be precise) was a bit like a large raccoon.

We also saw masses of other interesting wildlife but none that has a link to Countdown.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:55 am
by Joseph Krol
Karen Pearson wrote:Today I saw both an AGOUTI and a COATI in the rainforest in Costa Rica. The guide couldn't quite understand why I was so excited but he was impressed that I'd even heard of an agouti. The agouti, in case anyone is interested, is like a very large guinea pig and the coati (male, white-nosed coati to be precise) was a bit like a large raccoon.

We also saw masses of other interesting wildlife but none that has a link to Countdown.
Return of the coatis! Some escaped from chester zoo last year.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:57 am
by Michael Wallace
Karen Pearson wrote:Today I saw both an AGOUTI and a COATI in the rainforest in Costa Rica.
*coati envy*

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:04 am
by Jon Corby
Karen Pearson wrote:We also saw masses of other interesting wildlife but none that has a link to Countdown.
Any tanagers?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:35 pm
by Karen Pearson
Jon Corby wrote:
Karen Pearson wrote:We also saw masses of other interesting wildlife but none that has a link to Countdown.
Any tanagers?
Yes! Several scarlet-rumped tanagers. In fact we saw a couple just now at breakfast.

This is a veritable Countdown wildlife fest!

Doesn't look like they have ortolans here though.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 7:36 pm
by Kirk Bevins
Michael Wallace wrote:
Karen Pearson wrote:Today I saw both an AGOUTI and a COATI in the rainforest in Costa Rica.
*coati envy*
You bastard. I just spent half an hour trying to unscramble your conundrum and it wasn't one :(

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 9:00 pm
by Matt Morrison
Kirk Bevins wrote:
Michael Wallace wrote:
Karen Pearson wrote:Today I saw both an AGOUTI and a COATI in the rainforest in Costa Rica.
*coati envy*
You bastard. I just spent half an hour trying to unscramble your conundrum and it wasn't one :(
KIRK U SUCK

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 3:18 pm
by Lesley Hines
Simpsons last night had the family chasing a Scarlet TANAGER to Machu Picchu after Bart strapped his homing device to it. I was chuffed.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 4:12 pm
by Ian Volante
A Guardian article yesterday mentioned diatoms.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 5:41 pm
by Ryan Taylor
I flicked through a geography textbook and I caught sight of RHYOLITE which I had only ever heard from Jon in the TTT thread. Also right next to it was ANDESITE which I'd only ever used on apterous.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:06 pm
by Karen Pearson
Michael Wallace wrote:
Karen Pearson wrote:Today I saw both an AGOUTI and a COATI in the rainforest in Costa Rica.
*coati envy*
Sorry Michael but this might make it worse. As well as the aforementioned white-nosed coati, we also came across a dozen or so coatis (different type) just ambling around on the road.

Image

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:19 pm
by Ryan Taylor
I hpoe they scarpered before any snakes came.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:40 pm
by Rhys Benjamin
Not really a word as such, but I played Countdown with a piece of paper and a pen on the boring coach trip. Yawn.

I had to get Someone to say the letters - so we had TCAIVISEJ


ME: SEAT (4)
SJ: SAT (3)
OT: CAVITIES (8)
Score 4-0 (max 8)

Then he got bored.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 7:27 pm
by Kirk Bevins
I was reading over a girl's shoulder who was sat at the bar studying a psychology paper on motion blindness and it was riddled with countdown gems. I can't remember most but AGNOSIA was amongst them but literally every few words they'd be another one. I was all happy and she asked why I was so happy to see agnosia and I explained the whole strings-of-letters-to-make-words-for-points-actually-used-in-real-life thing and she seemed surprisingly interested, rather than scared. Winner.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 7:30 pm
by Gavin Chipper
Kirk Bevins wrote:I was reading over a girl's shoulder who was sat at the bar studying a psychology paper on motion blindness and it was riddled with countdown gems. I can't remember most but AGNOSIA was amongst them but literally every few words they'd be another one. I was all happy and she asked why I was so happy to see agnosia and I explained the whole strings-of-letters-to-make-words-for-points-actually-used-in-real-life thing and she seemed surprisingly interested, rather than scared. Winner.
If that's the end of the story, then it's not a winner.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:43 pm
by Kirk Bevins
Gavin Chipper wrote:
If that's the end of the story, then it's not a winner.
Step 1 is to craniates/sectarian/ascertain whether she's not bored....step 2 is to find out if she's single. She's not.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:08 pm
by Joseph Krol
Some dipterans feature in a question on Uni Challenge today.

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 9:04 am
by Graeme Cole
I was on holiday in Norway all last week, and it turns out they have this chocolate bar.

Image

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 9:13 am
by Adam Gillard
Graeme Cole wrote:I was on holiday in Norway all last week, and it turns out they have this chocolate bar.

Image
I had TROIKAS on the telly - tasty ;). Did you see a NORWAY REG on a car (N) and think of GARRYOWEN?

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:24 am
by Ian Fitzpatrick
I have a Troika vase on my window sill, supposed to be worth a few bob!

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:32 am
by Lesley Hines
Image
OCARINA

Sorry, I've only got the one ;)

Re: Countdown words spotted in real life

Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 5:04 pm
by Ralph Gillions
This is Troika from the Lieutenant Kije Suite by Prokofiev....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45xscpiW9pg