Wednesday 23rd September (Series 73, Prelim 58)

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Giles
Series 68 Champion
Posts: 92
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:11 pm
Location: Farnham, Surrey

Wednesday 23rd September (Series 73, Prelim 58)

Post by Giles »

Countdown recap for Wednesday 23rd September 2015.

Nick starts off the show by talking about how summer is officially over and we're into autumn (the equinox, by the way, was at 9.21am). He then says he doesn't care much for winter and asks Rachel what her favourite is. She says autumn because that's when the football season starts!
Thomas survived the grand apterous battle yesterday and lives to play another day, having been a point behind for most of the game before snatching the conundrum.
C1: Champion Thomas Carey (4 wins, 469 points.) Apterite and sixth form student from Bingley.
C2: Challenger Mary Fox. A retired NHS manager from Gilberdyke, East Yorkshire, who's a passionate campaigner for organ donation, and once went bodyboarding in the Indian Ocean with sharks.
DC: Susie Dent and Ranulph Fiennes. Ranulph has his hands clasped together so we can all see the horrors of the aftermath of frostbite.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: N U R O W I H A S
R02: N T E L A R E F M
R03: 75, 1, 6, 9, 3, 2. Target: 869.
TTT: CORNSHOE - "Have a large glass of sherry now rather than later"
R04: B D I P E M I P N
R05: R U W E P A D I P
R06: 25, 7, 9, 7, 6, 5. Target: 444.
R07: N O C E F A L T N
R08: G X I S M E O L V
R09: 25, 2, 10, 2, 8, 8. Target: 823.
TTT: IPROPOSE - "It sounds like this creature has bad posture"
R10: T R E D K A S U N
R11: R E T O R A G E S
R12: Q R M A L U N I L
R13: D E C O Z A S E J
R14: 50, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2. Target: 166.
R15: T H I N K S T I G (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: N U R O W I H A S

Thomas: NOURISH (7)
Mary: WAINS (5)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)

A nice darrenic start.

Round 2: N T E L A R E F M

Thomas: LAMENTER (8)
Mary: RELENT (6)
DC: ETERNAL (7) REFLATE (7)
Score: 15–0 (max 15)

Another good darren here gives Thomas a great start.

Round 3: 75, 1, 6, 9, 3, 2. Target: 869.

Thomas: 869. (75 - 2) x (9 + 3) - 6 - 1 (10)
Mary: 869. Mistake in working.
Score: 25–0 (max 25)

Quite a tough 1 large that trips Mary up but Thomas gets it spot on.

Teatime teaser: CORNSHOE -> SCHOONER

Round 4: B D I P E M I P N

Thomas: NIPPED (6)
Mary: NIPPED (6)
DC: BIPED (5) IMPEND (6) DENIM (5)
OT: PIMPED (6)
Score: 31–6 (max 31)

Quite flat with a few easy 6s.

Round 5: R U W E P A D I P

Thomas: WRAPPED (7)
Mary: DAPPIER (7)
DC: WIPED (5) WIRED (5)
OT: UPWARPED (8)
Score: 38–13 (max 39)

The max game is off with the weird darren UPWARPED, relating to geologic processes. DAPPIER is not relating to the rapper, but dappy means silly or lacking concentration.

Round 6: 25, 7, 9, 7, 6, 5. Target: 444.

Thomas: 444. 25 x 9 x (7 - 5) - 6 (10)
Mary: 444. Mistake in working.
Score: 48–13 (max 49)

Ranulph talks about his expeditions and the charities that sponsor them, mainly Marie Curie. He also went with Joanna Lumley to Bangladesh and raised £1.8 million for cataract operations and glasses for young children.

Round 7: N O C E F A L T N

Thomas: FALCONET (8)
Mary: CONFLATE (8)
Score: 56–21 (max 57)

Two great 8s found by both contestants. Ranulph said he got a 3 here. Wonder what it was. FAT? Who knows.

Round 8: G X I S M E O L V

Thomas: OLIVES (6)
Mary: VOILES (6)
DC: GISMO (5)
OT: EGOISM (6) GLOVES (6) GOLEMS (6) MOLIES (6) MOLVIS (6) MOVIES (6) OGIVES (6) VOXELS (6)
Score: 62–27 (max 63)

Auto-direct ODO mass noun trouble strikes! Even though it's a fabric and says mass noun for the whole entry, just because it went to the entry when Susie entered VOILES, she accepted it. *sigh*

Round 9: 25, 2, 10, 2, 8, 8. Target: 823.

Thomas: 822. (25 x 2 + 2) x (8 + 8) - 10 (7)
Mary: 818.
RR: 823. (2 + 8) x 10 x 8 + 25 - 2 (10)
Score: 69–27 (max 73)

Another tough one large that falls to Rachel to solve.

Teatime teaser: IPROPOSE -> PORPOISE

Round 10: T R E D K A S U N

Thomas: TRANSUDE (8)
Mary: STREAK (6)
DC: SAUNTER (7)
OT: DARKNETS (8) DRUNKEST (8)
Score: 77–27 (max 81)

A certain Paul will be happy with Thomas' offer there. A darknet is a computer network that is locked and is mainly used for illegal file sharing.

Round 11: R E T O R A G E S

Thomas: GOATEES (7)
Mary: GRATES (6)
DC: GRATERS (7) STORAGE (7)
OT: GARRETS (7) GARTERS (7) GREASER (7) GREATER (7) ORGEATS (7) REGRETS (7) RERATES (7) RESTAGE (7) RESTORE (7) ROASTER (7) ROSEATE (7) SERRATE (7) TEARERS (7) TOERAGS (7)
Score: 84–27 (max 88)

Star Wars Episode VII: Attack of the Sevens. Very flat here. Mary misses the R she could have added to make a 7.

Round 12: Q R M A L U N I L

Thomas: URINAL (6)
Mary: QUILL (5)
DC: MARLIN (6) LUNAR (5)
OT: LUMINAL (7) RUMINAL (7)
Score: 90–27 (max 95)

RUMINAL relates to the first stomach of a ruminant. Thomas is nearing another century.

Round 13: D E C O Z A S E J

Thomas: CEASED (6)
Mary: CASED (5)
DC: DAZES (5)
Score: 96–27 (max 101)

Not a very nice round, with only one 6 that Thomas gets.

Round 14: 50, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2. Target: 166.

Thomas: 166. 50 x 2 + 9 x 8 - 6 (10)
Mary: 166. 50 x 6 / 2 + 9 + 7 (10)
Score: 106–37 (max 111)

A nicer 1 large than the others this game gives both contestants 10 points. Thomas gets his 5th hundred!

Round 15: T H I N K S T I G

Thomas buzzes on 4.5 seconds to say SKINTIGHT which is correct.
Final Score: 116–37 (max 121)


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=73
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