Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 9 June 2016.
C1: Champion Ollie Heath (2 wins, 179 points.) A MORSE student at Warwick University.
C2: Challenger Norm Ahmad. An Apterite and data analyst from Northolt, West London. He likes music and travelling, and likes to buy odd musical instruments on his travels, including a Burmese crocodile harp (not made of crocodile skin, but shaped like one).
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Madeley.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G A R O P I M A U
R02: L D E I P S E O R
R03: 75, 9, 8, 10, 2, 6. Target: 181.
TTT: FULLYTEN - "She wasn't fully ten years old, but could read and write perfectly."
R04: D Y N A I U P T E
R05: B I R U M O V I D
R06: 50, 75, 100, 7, 3, 4. Target: 892.
R07: W A M E N A S U T
R08: X T N I O E L R J
R09: 100, 10, 4, 3, 9, 6. Target: 558.
TTT: JADEBALL - "She took a few balls of jade wool and knitted herself this."
R10: H T I A U D O H E
R11: S I B A V E S G D
R12: R L T O I O E C A
R13: R T O U F I S E R
R14: 75, 10, 4, 1, 6, 2. Target: 940.
R15: N I F T Y P I G Y (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: G A R O P I M A U
Ollie: AROMA (5)
Norm: GOPURA (6)
DC: GOPURAM (7) parma marjoram GOURAMI (7)
OT: MAGUARI (7) PIRAGUA (7)
Score: 0–6 (max 7)
Norm takes the lead thanks to his GOPURA, although the little addition of the M at the end would've made it a 7.
A MAGUARI is a South American stork, Ciconia maguari, with a forked tail.
PIRAGUA is another name for PIROGUE, a long, narrow canoe made from a single tree trunk, especially in Central America and the Caribbean.
Round 2: L D E I P S E O R
Ollie: SPOILER (7)
Norm: SPOILER (7)
DC: ELOPED (6) REPLIED (7) SOLDIER (7) PERIODS (7) DESPOIL (7) DESPOILER (18)
OT: LEPROSIED (18)
Score: 7–13 (max 25)
Plenty of SPOILERs here, but there is a DESPOILER in there too for a brill 9
Round 3: 75, 9, 8, 10, 2, 6. Target: 181.
Ollie: -
Norm: 184. (75 + 9 + 8) x 2 (7)
RR: 181. ((8 + 2) x 10) + 75 + 6 (10)
Score: 7–20 (max 35)
The numbers game seems to have bamboozled both players a bit here, but Norm is the beneficiary here with a 7 point booster.
Teatime teaser: FULLYTEN -> FLUENTLY
Round 4: D Y N A I U P T E
Ollie: PAINTED (7)
Norm: PETUNIA (7)
OT: AUDIENT (7) PATINED (7) PEANUTY (7) UNPIETY (7)
Score: 14–27 (max 42)
PETUNIA is certainly starting to creep up on GODETIA in terms of the most popular plant on the show.
An AUDIENT is a hearer or listener.
To PATINE (or to PATINATE) is to cause to develop a patina, a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period.
Round 5: B I R U M O V I D
Ollie: BIRD (4)
Norm: DOUR (4)
DC: MORBID (6) VIROID (6)
OT: MIDRIB (6) OIDIUM (6) VIBRIO (6)
Score: 18–31 (max 48)
Richard Madeley seemed to be in a joyous mood when he found his MORBID 6, compared to the 4's from the players. Well, each to their own.
A MIDRIB is a large strengthened vein along the midline of a leaf.
A VIBRIO is a water-borne bacterium of a group that includes some pathogenic kinds that cause cholera, gastroenteritis, and septicaemia.
Round 6: 50, 75, 100, 7, 3, 4. Target: 892.
Ollie: 892. ((75 x 3) - (100 / 50)) x 4 (10)
Norm: 892. ((75 x 3) - (100 / 50)) x 4 (10)
Score: 28–41 (max 58)
Pretty good skill on the 3 large by both players here.
Round 7: W A M E N A S U T
Ollie: STAMEN (6)
Norm: UNSEAT (6)
DC: TAMES (5) NAMASTE (7)
Me: MANTEAUS (8)
Score: 34–47 (max 66)
6's from the players, a thoughtful 7 from DC, and a unseen studio 8 got by me in the audience.
Round 8: X T N I O E L R J
Ollie: JOLTIER (7)
Norm: LOITER (6)
DC: JOINER (6) JOINTER (7)
OT: REJOINT (7) RETINOL (7)
Score: 41–47 (max 73)
Hmmm, Norm's lead is cut suddenly, thanks to the JOLTIER 7 from Ollie here. Is a comeback on the cards.....
Round 9: 100, 10, 4, 3, 9, 6. Target: 558.
Ollie: 558. (100 - 4 - 3) x 6 (10)
Norm: 558. (100 - 4 - 3) x 6 (10)
Score: 51–57 (max 83)
Simple numbers again. NEXT
Teatime teaser: JADEBALL -> DJELLABA
Round 10: H T I A U D O H E
Ollie: DEATH (5)
Norm: AUDIT (5)
DC: HOTHEAD (7) HIDEOUT (7)
Score: 56–62 (max 90)
5's from the players and 7's from DC.
Round 11: S I B A V E S G D
Ollie: BIASED (6)
Norm: VISAGES (7)
DC: VISAGED (7)
OT: ADVISES (7) BAGSIED (7) BAGSIES (7)
Score: 56–69 (max 97)
Ah, a critical moment, perhaps
Norm's VISAGES are making him face towards Series 75 now, you'd feel.....Round 12: R L T O I O E C A
Ollie: COOLER (6)
Norm: CALORIE (7)
DC: TRAIL (5) EROTICA (7)
OT: COLORATE (8) LORICATE (8)
Score: 56–76 (max 105)
That CALORIE will help Norm a bit, although his lead is at the precarious 20 mark....
COLORATE (or COLOURATE) is an adjective meaning having a colour.
In reference to animals, LORICATE is an adjective meaning having a lorica or other protective covering of plates or scales.
Round 13: R T O U F I S E R
Ollie: FRUITERS (8)
Norm: FRUITERS (8)
DC: FROSTIER (8)
OT: FURRIEST (8) ROTIFERS (8) ROUTIERS (8)
Score: 64–84 (max 113)
Both players seem to be bearing FRUIT here, but with the gap still at 20 points, the game is delicately poised on a knife-edge.....
A ROTIFER is a minute multicellular aquatic animal of the phylum Rotifera.
A ROUTIER is a member of a band of mercenaries in France in the late medieval period.
Round 14: 75, 10, 4, 1, 6, 2. Target: 940.
Ollie: 940. (((6 + 4) x 2) - 1 + 75) x 10 (10)
Norm: 940. (75 x 6 x 2) + (10 x 4) (10)
Score: 74–94 (max 123)
Safe 1 large option deployed by Norm, and safe 1 large numbers comes out.
Round 15: N I F T Y P I G Y
Norm buzzes on 12.5 seconds to say TYPIFYING which is correct.
Final Score: 74–104 (max 133)
And an -ING conundrum comes up, which gives Norm a debut century too.
So, Norm will be back on June 27th, when Series 75 begins, as we now head into the finals of this series.Join Anthony tomorrow to see who will win the first quarter-final between the #1 seed, Paul "The Pinner Pulveriser" Erdunast and the #8 seed, Tony "The Chalfont St. Peter Charger" Lock.
I'll be back in 2 weeks, as there's only 1 show next week thanks to Royal Ascot, so it's a semi-final double bill for me.
Till then, bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Ollie:
Total score - 74
Raw score - 91
Total % of max - 56
Raw % of max - 69
Total average score per round - 4.9
Raw average score per round - 6.1
Number of maxes - 6
Norm:
Total score - 104
Raw score - 110
Total % of max - 78
Raw % of max - 83
Total average score per round - 6.9
Raw average score per round - 7.3
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=74