Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

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Jennifer Steadman
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Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Jennifer Steadman »

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Today's the last episode of the week because Channel 4 mistakenly believe that horse racing is better than anagramming. So this better be a good recap.

Kevin Breeze is on 4 wins, but looked shaky in yesterday's game. Today he's facing Chris Roy and his lilting Scottish accent - ahh, accents. The winner gets the veritable joy of playing Apterite Jonathan Wynn, so you'd presume that today will be their last wynn. I mean win.

Speaking of veritable joys, Gyles Brandreth continues his millionth stint in Dictionary Corner...

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(I am not his biggest fan.)

Countdown recap for Tuesday 18 August 2015.

C1: Champion Kevin Breeze (4 wins, 341 points.)
C2: Challenger Chris Roy.
DC: Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S F D R A E O M A
R02: T P S E L I O G U
R03: 25, 75, 2, 8, 6, 3. Target: 871.
TTT: CATSCOAT - "t was depressed but not for very long at all"
R04: N T H B E I R U A
R05: C T D I O E N U E
R06: 50, 9, 8, 9, 7, 10. Target: 432.
R07: S M G R O A E P Q
R08: S O I R M E R X I
R09: 100, 75, 50, 25, 3, 6. Target: 128.
TTT: IDEALPET - "It's a case of hair today, gone tomorrow"
R10: L P H A E D U T I
R11: C R N O A U F S A
R12: W G T E D O I N E
R13: V T Y S O E A J P
R14: 50, 3, 1, 8, 6, 6. Target: 725.
R15: P A D D I N E R U (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S F D R A E O M A

Kevin: SOARED (6)
Chris: FEDORAS (7)
DC: RADOMES (7)
OT: DEFORMS (7) SERFDOM (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)

Chris takes an early lead with some fashionable hats. Gyles loudly offers RADOMES ("a dome or other structure protecting radar equipment and made from material transparent to radio waves, especially one on the outer surface of an aircraft").

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Round 2: T P S E L I O G U

Kevin: POLITE (6)
Chris: UGLIEST (7)
DC: TUPELOS (7) PISTOLE (7)
OT: EULOGIST (8)
Score: 0–14 (max 15)

Chris's declaration is the opposite of Kevin's, but despite being the UGLIEST 7 in the selection, he takes the points yet again. Gyles loudly offers TUPELOS ("a North American or Asian tree of damp and swampy habitats, which yields useful timber"). Susie, less loudly, offers PISTOLE ("any of various gold coins used in Europe or Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries"). But sneaking up on the round like he sneaks up on Championship defences is... a DARREN!

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Round 3: 25, 75, 2, 8, 6, 3. Target: 871.

Kevin: 872. (75 + 25 + 6 + 3) x 8 (7)
Chris: 872. (75 + 25 + 6 + 3) x 8 (7)
RR: 871. (25 - 2 x 6) x (75 - 8) (10)
Score: 7–21 (max 25)

If you got this spot on, you deserve a gold star. Nice work, Rachel (albeit out of time).

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Teatime teaser: CATSCOAT -> STACCATO

Round 4: N T H B E I R U A

Kevin: BREATH (6)
Chris: HAUNTER (7)
DC: TRIBUNE (7) URINATE (7)
OT: HAURIENT (8) URBANITE (8)
Score: 7–28 (max 33)

HAURIENT is a strange little adjective, meaning "[of a fish or marine creature] depicted swimming vertically, typically with the head upwards". Gyles loudly offers TRIBUNE.

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Round 5: C T D I O E N U E

Kevin: ENTICED (7)
Chris: COUNTED (7)
DC: EDUCTION (8)
OT: INDUCTEE (8)
Score: 14–35 (max 41)

Gyles loudly offers EDUCTION. This is getting too much now. I'm all for DC guests joining in with the game, but only when they're not obnoxious.

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Round 6: 50, 9, 8, 9, 7, 10. Target: 432.

Kevin: 432. (9/9 + (10 - 7)) + 50) x 8 (10)
Chris: 432. (9/9 + (10 - 7)) + 50) x 8 (10)
Score: 24–45 (max 51)

Slightly long-winded method from both contestants - but you don't get marked down for inefficiency, so who cares?! Full marks to both.

Round 7: S M G R O A E P Q

Kevin: GRAPES (6)
Chris: gropers
DC: ORGASM (6) GASPER (6)
OT: GAMERS (6) GAPERS (6) GOMERS (6) GRAMPS (6) GROPES (6) MARGES (6) MOPERS (6) OMEGAS (6) OPERAS (6) PAGERS (6) PAREOS (6) PARGES (6) PROEMS (6) RAMOSE (6) REMAPS (6) SPARGE (6)
Score: 30–45 (max 57)

Chris had been blitzing Kevin up to this point, but misreads the selection like peak Buffrey to give Kevin a glimmer of hope. On the sleazy theme of gropers, Gyles loudly ORGASMs, which makes Susie GASPER.

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Round 8: S O I R M E R X I

Kevin: MIRES (5)
Chris: MIXERS (6)
DC: ROSIER (6) ISOMER (6)
OT: MIXIES (6) ORMERS (6) RIMIER (6) ROMERS (6)
Score: 30–51 (max 63)

Kevin's back in the MIRES of being 21 points behind as Chris spots one of the 7 6s. Gyles loudly offers ROSIER.

Round 9: 100, 75, 50, 25, 3, 6. Target: 128.

Kevin: 128. 100 + 3 + 25 (10)
Chris: 128. 100 + 3 + 25 (10)
Score: 40–61 (max 73)

<insert unbelievably hilarious banter about personally having had 127 not written down but having forgotten the method. this is unbelievably hilarious because it is so easy that there is no way anyone would not get it.>

Teatime teaser: IDEALPET -> EPILATED


Round 10: L P H A E D U T I

Kevin: PLAITED (7)
Chris: HALTED (6)
DC: PITHEAD (7)
OT: HELIPAD (7)
Score: 47–61 (max 80)

Countdown Wars Episode V: Kevin Strikes Back. Gyles loudly offers PITHEAD ("the top of a mineshaft").

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Round 11: C R N O A U F S A

Kevin: ACORNS (6)
Chris: ACORNS (6)
DC: FRANCS (6)
OT: CORNUA (6) CORNUS (6) FAUNAS (6) FRACAS (6) FURANS (6) NARCOS (6) RACONS (6)
Score: 53–67 (max 86)

A lot of weird 6s here. CORNUA is the plural of CORNU, which can be various bodily things (any one of: the lateral cavities of the womb, a horn shaped projection of the thyroid cartilage, or elongated parts of the lateral ventricles of the game); CORNUS isn't an alt plural form of it, but instead a plant; FURAN is a "colourless, volatile liquid" that's a mass noun but has a count sense for derivatives of it; NARCO is American slang for drugs or drug dealers; and last but not least, RACONS are radar beacons. Phew. I think we can consider ourselves thoroughly educated.

Round 12: W G T E D O I N E

Kevin: WEEDING (7)
Chris: endowed
DC: WIDGEON (7)
OT: DOWTING (7) TWINGED (7) WENDIGO (7)
Score: 60–67 (max 93)

Chris sees double (again) and his declaration is disallowed (again), allowing Kevin to sneak into crucial territory. Gyles loudly offers WIDGEON. Also, how horrible a word is DOWTING? It's not just me who thinks it looks ugly, right?

Round 13: V T Y S O E A J P

Kevin: STOVE (5)
Chris: VOTES (5)
DC: TEAPOYS (7)
Score: 65–72 (max 100)

Gyles loudly offers TEAPOYS ("a small three-legged table or stand, especially one that holds a tea caddy"). I have to admit he's doing pretty well in this game.

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Round 14: 50, 3, 1, 8, 6, 6. Target: 725.

Kevin: 723. (8 + 6) x (50 + 1) + 6 + 3 (7)
Chris: 718.
RR: 725. (50 + 6) x (8 + 6 - 1) - 3 (10)
Score: 72–72 (max 110)

Ooft! It's another tricky numbers round, but Chris has chucked away a 21-point lead to give us a 100% crucial conundrum...

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Round 15: P A D D I N E R U

Chris buzzes on 6 seconds to say UNDERPAID which is correct.
Final Score: 72–82 (max 120)

Kevin will surely be gutted to lose, having made up a considerable deficit, but fair play to Chris for holding out at the end.

Til next week, when we have more Brandreth to look forward to...

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Sorry if you've read this, Gyles or members of Gyles's friends and family.

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=73
"There's leaders, and there's followers, but I'd rather be a dick than a swallower" - Aristotle
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Giles »

And the Oscar for best gif usage when recapping goes to... Jen Steadman!
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Jennifer Steadman
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Jennifer Steadman »

Giles wrote:And the Oscar for best gif usage when recapping goes to... Jen Steadman!
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Cheers bae <3 There are so many good ones I've got saved up that I haven't had an excuse to use yet... WATCH THIS SPACE!
"There's leaders, and there's followers, but I'd rather be a dick than a swallower" - Aristotle
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Blimey, Henry the Green Engine's lost a bit of weight...
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Ian Volante »

Giles wrote:And the Oscar for best gif usage when recapping goes to... Jen Steadman!
Don't encourage her!
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Stewart Gordon »

I'm surprised Susie read out only the nuclear physics definition of ISOMER (an atomic nucleus with the same atomic/mass numbers as another but a different energy state), and not the chemistry one (a compound with the same combination of atoms as another but a different arrangement of the atoms).

I'd only heard of the chemistry sense, and would imagine it to be the more familiar one. Quick show of hands - how many of you knew the chemistry sense of ISOMER before you watched this episode - and how many of you knew the nuclear physics sense?
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by JimBentley »

I must admit I thought of it as like carbon and graphite and diamond all being the same, but with different configurations of atoms. I'd not heard of the nuclear physics definition at all, but I think I might be confusing this with allotropy...is it the same?

Really, I am shockingly ignorant.
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Stewart Gordon »

Different structural forms of the same element are allotropes. It's a similar concept to isomers in that they are different arrangements of the same atoms. But allotropes are necessarily of a single element, and not necessarily at the molecular level as isomers are.
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by JimBentley »

Stewart Gordon wrote:Different structural forms of the same element are allotropes. It's a similar concept to isomers in that they are different arrangements of the same atoms. But allotropes are necessarily of a single element, and not necessarily at the molecular level as isomers are.
Cheers Stew, knew someone would know. You live and learn, eh?
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Re: Tuesday 18th August 2015 (Series 73, Prelim 37)

Post by Ian Volante »

Stewart Gordon wrote:Different structural forms of the same element are allotropes. It's a similar concept to isomers in that they are different arrangements of the same atoms. But allotropes are necessarily of a single element, and not necessarily at the molecular level as isomers are.
I'm with you - never heard of the other definition of isomer.
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