It's Hallowe'en time, and time to be spooked out by the ghoulish offerings in store. Or not.
Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 31 October 2013.
C1: Champion Joe Branker (1 win, 66 points.) A student from Blackpool, Lancashire.
C2: Challenger Alan "Youngy" Young. An Apterite and recruitment co-ordinator from Glasgow. When he was 3 years old, he saw a ice pole in his freezer and went to lick it and got stuck to it.
DC: Susie Dent and Mark Foster.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E O D C R I M E A
R02: T R L E A E R G U
R03: 50, 1, 8, 8, 9, 6. Target: 342.
TTT: ONECRISP - "Plot to steal the church tower, perhaps?"
R04: V H M E A O K R I
R05: H L T E O P I R T
R06: 75, 25, 4, 5, 3, 4. Target: 575.
R07: D X M E A U B N F
R08: H T N E I O L F E
R09: 75, 4, 6, 8, 4, 7. Target: 519.
TTT: ONESLIFE - "One's life could be spent in jail for too many of these"
R10: T Y S O E O N D E
R11: N S A O G P E I G
R12: D O W S T E O V A
R13: O I A G N B O R R
R14: 75, 100, 7, 1, 3, 2. Target: 892.
R15: M A N G R I P I T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: E O D C R I M E A
C1: CREAMED (7)
C2: CODER (5)
DC: COMRADE (7) DORMICE (7) MEDIOCRE (8)
Score: 7–0 (max 8)
A bad start for Alan, as he gets CREAMED by Joe, but DC prove that being MEDIOCRE can work well on this show.
Round 2: T R L E A E R G U
C1: GREATER (7)
C2: REGULATE (8)
OT: URETERAL (8)
Score: 7–8 (max 16)
An impressive comeback there by Alan with a super good 8.
Round 3: 50, 1, 8, 8, 9, 6. Target: 342.
C1: 342. ((8 - 1) x 50) - 8 (10)
C2: 342. (50 + 8 - 1) x 6 (10)
Score: 17–18 (max 26)
A couple of very different methods, but 10 points each just the same.
Teatime teaser: ONECRISP -> CONSPIRE
Round 4: V H M E A O K R I
C1: MOVIE (5)
C2: MAKER (5)
DC: MOHAIR (6) HOKIER (6)
OT: HOMIER (6) KHIMAR (6) OAKIER (6) RAMKIE (6)
Score: 22–23 (max 32)
Hmmmm, a MOVIE MAKER. Probably loads of those being used for some Hallowe'en films today, but there are a few odd 6's in there.
A KHIMAR is a headscarf worn by observant Muslim women that hangs down to just above the waist.
Round 5: H L T E O P I R T
C1: POTTIER (7)
C2: HELIPORT (8)
DC: TRIPLET (7) PLOTTER (7)
Score: 22–31 (max 40)
Well, Alan is flying high now thanks to his HELIPORT.
Round 6: 75, 25, 4, 5, 3, 4. Target: 575.
C1: 575. (25 x 4 x 5) + 75 (10)
C2: 575. ((4 + 4) x 75) - 25 (10)
Score: 32–41 (max 50)
Another simple numbers game for both players, leaves this game finely balanced.
Mark was talking about his career in swimming and how drugs are shaming the world of professional athleticism.
Round 7: D X M E A U B N F
C1: BEAN (4)
C2: NUMBED (6)
DC: UNMADE (6) BED (3)
Score: 32–47 (max 56)
I wonder if Joe feels a bit NUMBED by that, but Alan extends his lead thanks to his 6.
Round 8: H T N E I O L F E
C1: FINE (4)
C2: folient
DC: HOTLINE (7)
OT: OLEFINE (7)
Score: 36–47 (max 63)
Oh dear, Joe can only muster another 4, but luckily Alan's 7 isn't in, so Joe has a lifeline.
An OLEFIN or OLEFINE is any member of the alkene series.
Round 9: 75, 4, 6, 8, 4, 7. Target: 519.
C1: -
C2: 519. (7 x 75) - 6 (10)
Score: 36–57 (max 73)
Oh dear, that lifeline has snapped completely, as Joe blanks out on a fairly simple numbers, giving Alan a 10 points freebie, it has to be said...........
Teatime teaser: ONESLIFE -> FELONIES
Round 10: T Y S O E O N D E
C1: tooned
C2: STONED (6)
DC: TOON (4) SNOOTY (6) DENOTES (7)
Score: 36–63 (max 80)
Joe now starts to go into desperation mode with his 6, which isn't in, letting Alan pull away even further, while DC go darrenic with their 7.
Round 11: N S A O G P E I G
C1: PONGS (5)
C2: GASPING (7)
DC: AGONISE (7) PIGEONS (7)
OT: SEAGOING (8)
Score: 36–70 (max 88)
GASPING PONGS
Joe is certainly GASPING now, as Alan is now within touching distance of dethroning our champion. A very impressive darrenic 8 is missed too.......... Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "screaming banshees" and "screaming Abdabs".
Round 12: D O W S T E O V A
C1: WASTED (6)
C2: STOWED (6)
DC: AVOWED (6) STOVED (6)
OT: OVATES (6) SOOTED (6) STAVED (6) VADOSE (6)
Score: 42–76 (max 94)
6's all round in this one.
VADOSE is an adjective meaning found or located above the water table.
Round 13: O I A G N B O R R
C1: BARRING (7)
C2: ROARING (7)
DC: BORING (6)
OT: BORONIA (7)
Score: 49–83 (max 101)
A couple of nice 7's wrap up Alan's victory here.
A BORONIA is any aromatic rutaceous shrub of the Australian genus Boronia.
Round 14: 75, 100, 7, 1, 3, 2. Target: 892.
C1: 893. ((2 + 1) x 3 x 100) - 7 (7)
C2: 893. Mistake in working.
OT: 892. (((75 + 3) x 7) - 100) x 2 (10)
Score: 56–83 (max 111)
A numbers that is definitely trickier than it looks, and Alan even reveals that he used the 7 twice as well, so Joe gets some points back, but even Rachel can't solve this one
Round 15: M A N G R I P I T
C1 buzzes on 29.75 seconds to say PRIMATING which is incorrect.
C2 does not buzz.
The answer was IMPARTING.
Final Score: 56–83 (max 121)
Oh dear, Joe is probably one of the few people to have buzzed in both of his games and given incorrect answers, but all the focus should now switch to Alan, who after being CREAMED in round 1, came back with some impressive spots, which combined with Joe's midway collapse helped him win convincingly in the end.
Anthony will be recapping tomorrow, so join him to see if he can go any further in this series.
I'll be up in Scotland for the 2nd COEDI this weekend, and I'm looking forward to my 2nd trip north of the border and I can't wait to meet up with everyone else who will be there too.
But, after that, I'll be back on Wednesday for my next installment of Robinson Recaps.
So, have a great weekend, wherever and whatever you are doing, and see you next week. Bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Joe:
Total score - 56
Raw score - 79
Total % of max - 46
Raw % of max - 65
Total average score per round - 3.7
Raw average score per round - 5.3
Number of maxes - 4
Alan:
Total score - 83
Raw score - 88
Total % of max - 69
Raw % of max - 73
Total average score per round - 5.5
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 8
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69