Ah well, enjoy if you can.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 13 April 2016.
C1: Champion Ann Dibben (1 win, 117 points.) A company director from Haslemere, Surrey. Is a mum to 2-year-old Alice, and loves hill walking, even doing the 24 Peak Challenge in the Lake District, which involves climbing 24 peaks in 24 hours.
She also appeared on the show in Series 18 in 1989 under her maiden name, Ann Rutter, winning one game, so she's matched that already. C2: Challenger Ashton Gardner. A business student at the University of Birmingham. He plays football and was taught hockey by Nick Hewer's son-in-law, who according to Ashton "likes to get a stick in his hand and play around".
DC: Susie Dent and Alistair McGowan.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: M D V E A N I O L
R02: S D F E S A E R L
R03: 100, 25, 3, 5, 1, 6. Target: 669.
TTT: MICKHUNT - "Mick Hunt downed a very large glass of whisky"
R04: R T P M U O A N E
R05: V S A T I O L A P
R06: 50, 100, 3, 1, 10, 2. Target: 662.
R07: G F P E I S O E L
R08: H X T S A E A B D
R09: 50, 25, 6, 7, 5, 9. Target: 678.
TTT: ACTDROVE - "Her act drove the male crowd wild as she strutted around the stage"
R10: U A E G N P R T C
R11: S G A I T U N A Q
R12: M L R T E I O R U
R13: Y T E O N E G C U
R14: 100, 1, 8, 4, 5, 9. Target: 347.
R15: H A L L M U R F Y (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: M D V E A N I O L
Ann: MELANOID (8)
Ashton: MOANED (6)
OT: MOVIELAND (18)
Score: 8–0 (max 18)
A great start by Ann with her classic MELANOID, but there's an amazing new 9 now in the dictionary, which sounds like it was taken out of a cartoon
MOVIELAND, quite simply, is the world of the film industry, specifically that of Hollywood.
Round 2: S D F E S A E R L
Ann: FEARLESS (8)
Ashton: FLARED (6)
DC: FEDERAL (7)
OT: FADELESS (8)
Score: 16–0 (max 26)
Ann proving that she is FEARLESS with another 8 straight away.
Round 3: 100, 25, 3, 5, 1, 6. Target: 669.
Ann: 669. (6 x 100) + (3 x 25) - 5 - 1 (10)
Ashton: 675.
Score: 26–0 (max 36)
She's on the march today, isn't she
Poor Ashton might have to go back to uni just to keep up. Teatime teaser: MICKHUNT -> MUTCHKIN
Round 4: R T P M U O A N E
Ann: OPERANT (7)
Ashton: MOUNTER (7)
DC: REMOUNT (7) TEMPURA (7)
OT: EMPATRON (8) MANUPORT (8)
Score: 33–7 (max 44)
Just 7's in the studio, but there are a couple of 8's in this letters game.
To EMPATRON is to act as a patron towards or to extend one's patronage to.
A MANUPORT is a natural object, especially a stone, that has been carried and deposited somewhere by humans but has not been artificially shaped.
Round 5: V S A T I O L A P
Ann: TOPSAIL (7)
Ashton: PLAITS (6)
DC: VIOLAS (6) PATOIS (6) SPATIAL (7)
OT: PATOLAS (7) PIVOTAL (7) POTAILS (7) SOLATIA (7)
Score: 40–7 (max 51)
Another great spot by Ann, who marches onto 40 points already.
PATOLA (or PATOLU) is brightly coloured fine silk cloth made by dyeing the thread before weaving.
In central, western, and southern India, a POTAIL (or PATEL) is the headman of a village.
Round 6: 50, 100, 3, 1, 10, 2. Target: 662.
Ann: 662. (((3 x 100) + 1) x 2) + 50 + 10 (10)
Ashton: 661.
Score: 50–7 (max 61)
A half-century up for Ann and she's already looking good for win #2.
Alistair talks about his dislike of the Americanisation of the English language.
Round 7: G F P E I S O E L
Ann: ELOPES (6)
Ashton: PEELS (5)
DC: SPIEL (5) FOILS (5) GOSPEL (6)
OT: EGILOPS (7) SOLFEGE (7)
Score: 56–7 (max 68)
Now Ann seems to want to ELOPE her way into tomorrow's show, but neither of the 7's were spotted in the studio....
An EGILOPS (or AEGILOPS) is an abscess or ulcer of the inner canthus of the eye, especially when involving a lacrimal duct or the lacrimal sac.
SOLFEGE is another term for SOLFEGGIO, a music exercise in singing using sol-fa syllables.
Round 8: H X T S A E A B D
Ann: ABATED (6)
Ashton: BATHED (6)
DC: ABASHED (7)
Score: 62–13 (max 75)
DC on top form this time with the darrenic 7, while our contestants are BATHED and ABATED. Better than being ABASHED, I guess.
Round 9: 50, 25, 6, 7, 5, 9. Target: 678.
Ann: 678. ((50 + 25) x 9) + (6 / (7 - 5)) (10)
Ashton: 675.
Score: 72–13 (max 85)
Ann is turning into some sort of numbers goddess, 3/3 today, and they weren't all so easy either.
Teatime teaser: ACTDROVE -> CAVORTED
Round 10: U A E G N P R T C
Ann: PARENT (6)
Ashton: PUNTER (6)
DC: GAUNTER (7) PUNCTAE (7)
OT: CAPTURE (7) CENTAUR (7) NEATRUP (7) PRECANT (7) TREPANG (7) UNCRATE (7)
Score: 78–19 (max 92)
Lots of 7's here, but just some 6's from our players here....
A NEATRUP (or NETOP) is a friend or close companion. Frequently used in salutation to an American Indian by early colonists.
A PRECANT is a person who prays.
Round 11: S G A I T U N A Q
Ann: QUANTS (6)
Ashton: QUAINT (6)
DC: AGAINST (7) IGUANAS (7)
OT: ASQUINT (7) GITANAS (7) QUINTAS (7)
Score: 84–25 (max 99)
Nothing QUAINT about those offerings, but it does wrap up the game for Ann already.
A GITANA is a female Spanish gypsy.
In Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, a QUINTA is a large house in the country or on the outskirts of a town.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origin of more Americanisms.
Round 12: M L R T E I O R U
Ann: MOTLIER (7)
Ashton: TURMOIL (7)
DC: TREMOR (6) MOULTER (7)
OT: ULTERIOR (8)
Score: 91–32 (max 107)
7's aplenty from all concerned, but there might've been an ULTERIOR motive lurking below....
Round 13: Y T E O N E G C U
Ann: TONGUE (6)
Ashton: TONGUE (6)
DC: COUNTY (6)
OT: CENOTE (6) COGENT (6) CONGEE (6) CUENTO (6) CYGNET (6) NEGOCE (6) OCTENE (6) OCTYNE (6)
Score: 97–38 (max 113)
6's everywhere you look here, and Ann is looking for back-to-back 117's.....
A CENOTE is a natural underground reservoir of water such as occurs in the limestone of Yucatán, Mexico.
A CUENTO (or QUENTO) is a million maravedis, a medieval Spanish copper coin and monetary unit.
A NEGOCE is a rare term for business and commerce.
An OCTENE is any of a series of liquid alkenes with the formula C8H16; especially (also 1-octene) the isomer CH2CH(CH2)5CH3.
An OCTYNE (or OCTINE) is any of a series of liquid alkynes having the formula C8H14.
Round 14: 100, 1, 8, 4, 5, 9. Target: 347.
Ann: 345.
Ashton: 346. ((4 - 1) x (9 + 8 + 100)) - 5 (7)
RR: 347. ((100 - 8 - 5) x 4) - 1 (10)
Score: 97–45 (max 123)
Oh dear, Ann can only get 2 away, meaning Ashton's 1 away gets him the 7 points, while Rachel shows us how its done.
Round 15: H A L L M U R F Y
Ann buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say HARMFULLY which is correct.
Final Score: 107–45 (max 133)
But, she gets the conundrum in decent time to make it 2 out of 2 and with 224 points as well, she's poised to make a good stab of this, hopefully.
See you soon.
Statistics Corner
Ann:
Total score - 107
Raw score - 114
Total % of max - 80
Raw % of max - 86
Total average score per round - 7.1
Raw average score per round - 7.6
Number of maxes - 7
Ashton:
Total score - 45
Raw score - 87
Total % of max - 34
Raw % of max - 65
Total average score per round - 3.0
Raw average score per round - 5.8
Number of maxes - 1
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=74