Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 10 August 2016.
C1: Champion Annie Humphries (3 wins, 291 points.) A retired teacher from Basildon, Essex.
C2: Challenger Paul Emmett. A musician from Grantham, Lincolnshire. He once played a trombone solo whilst abseiling down a church for charity. :O
DC: Susie Dent and Charlie Stayt.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: P S N O U L I E H
R02: T S A I N J F O S
R03: 75, 4, 10, 9, 7, 5. Target: 438.
TTT: LARDYEGG - "He was lardy, egg-shaped and just very untidy."
R04: R U V D I E S G A
R05: T P O U W A T D E
R06: 50, 100, 1, 6, 4, 10. Target: 509.
R07: R L P I U O N M E
R08: K T P O A N R E S
R09: 25, 10, 9, 4, 9, 8. Target: 762.
TTT: INTERCOG - "It's all to do with getting on in life."
R10: M R N I O D S E H
R11: N T R U A E L O U
R12: D G S D E I A L R
R13: T S M O A E T R Y
R14: 100, 50, 7, 3, 3, 4. Target: 943.
R15: M O O N P A N I C (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: P S N O U L I E H
Annie: SUPINE (6)
Paul: HOUSE (5)
DC: INSOLE (6) PINHOLES (8)
OT: SULPHONE (8) UNIPOLES (8) UNPOLISH (8)
Score: 6–0 (max 8)
A few 8's hiding here, but Annie's 6 will suffice for an early lead.
SULPHONE is an organic compound containing a sulphonyl group linking two organic groups.
A UNIPIOLE is a monopole antenna or aerial.
Round 2: T S A I N J F O S
Annie: FAINTS (6)
Paul: TINS (4)
DC: STAINS (6) SAINTS (6) JOINTS (6)
OT: AFIONS (6) FATSOS (6) FOISTS (6) JOISTS (6) SANTOS (6) SATINS (6) SOFTAS (6)
Score: 12–0 (max 14)
Not a great start for Paul, as he can only find a 4, with plenty of 6's around....
AFION is opium, especially in a raw liquid form.
In Mexico and Spanish-speaking areas of the south-western US, a SANTO is a religious symbol, especially a wooden representation of a saint.
A SOFTA is a Muslim student of sacred law and theology.
Round 3: 75, 4, 10, 9, 7, 5. Target: 438.
Annie: 438. (75 x 5) + (7 x 9) (10)
Paul: 432.
Score: 22–0 (max 24)
A very ingenious method from Annie, as she maintains her good start to this match.
Teatime teaser: LARDYEGG -> RAGGEDLY
Round 4: R U V D I E S G A
Annie: GAUDIER (7)
Paul: GEARS (5)
DC: VISAGED (7) GAUDIES (7)
OT: ADVISER (7) GARDIES (7) GRAVIES (7) GUIDERS (7) RESIDUA (7) RIVAGES (7) SEVRUGA (7) SUGARED (7)
Score: 29–0 (max 31)
Paul is still not out of first gear yet, as Annie goes further clear.
A GARDIE is an Australian term for the garfish.
A RIVAGE is a historical term for a toll for travelling or mooring on a river.
Round 5: T P O U W A T D E
Annie: UPDATE (6)
Paul: TOAD (4)
DC: TEAPOT (6) OUTDATE (7) POUTED (6)
OT: OPTATED (7) OUTWEPT (7)
Score: 35–0 (max 38)
Another UPDATE for Annie, with Paul still without a score.
To OPTATE is to choose or to opt.
Round 6: 50, 100, 1, 6, 4, 10. Target: 509.
Annie: 509. ((6 + 4) x 50) + 10 - 1 (10)
Paul: 509. ((50 / 10) x 100) + 6 + 4 - 1 (10)
Score: 45–10 (max 48)
Well, I was wondering if Paul was deliberately trying to throw this round when he started with 50 / 10, rather than 50 x 10, but he has his 10 points, and is in the game.
Charlie talks about research in the pre-Internet days of journalism.
Round 7: R L P I U O N M E
Annie: IMPLORE (7)
Paul: MINOR (5)
DC: PROLINE (7) LUMPIER (7)
OT: LEPROMIN (8) NEUROPIL (8) PERONIUM (8) PINOLEUM (8)
Score: 52–10 (max 56)
Well, he might've scored on the numbers, but Paul is still firing blanks on the letters rounds. A few tricky 8's were available here though...
LEPROMIN (or LEPROMINE) is any of various preparations containing killed Mycobacterium leprae (the causative agent of leprosy), used in skin testing originally for the diagnosis and later for the classification of cases of leprosy.
NEUROPIL (or NEUROPILE) is a dense network of interwoven nerve fibres and their branches and synapses, together with glial filaments.
In certain hydromedusae, a PERONIUM is a tentacle formed by an extension of the umbrellar ectoderm and lacking mesogloea.
PINOLEUM is a material used to make blinds, consisting of thin strips of pinewood coated with oil paint and threaded close together to form a flexible sheet which can be rolled up.
Round 8: K T P O A N R E S
Annie: PRONATES (8)
Paul: POSTER (6)
DC: paterns OPERANTS (8)
OT: TROPANES (8)
Score: 60–10 (max 64)
Another good spot from Annie, and she is looking in top form, with win #4 just about a certainty now.
TROPANE (or TROPAN) is a liquid amine which is the parent of a series of alkaloids and other compounds occurring in plants, including atropine, hyoscyamine, and cocaine.
Round 9: 25, 10, 9, 4, 9, 8. Target: 762.
Annie: 765. Mistake in working.
Paul: -
OT: 762. (((9 x 9) - 4) x 10) - 8 (10)
Score: 60–10 (max 74)
Nothing at all for Paul, but Annie messes up too.
Teatime teaser: INTERCOG -> GERONTIC
Round 10: M R N I O D S E H
Annie: MODERNS (7)
Paul: DEMONS (6)
DC: MODES (5) MODISH (6) HEDONISM (8)
OT: DEMONISH (8) HEIRDOMS (8) MIDSHORE (8) MONISHED (8)
Score: 67–10 (max 82)
Susie seems surprised by Annie's offering of MODERNS, but it's perfectly fine.
To MONISH is to admonish; to give counsel, warning, or criticism.
Round 11: N T R U A E L O U
Annie: ORNATE (6)
Paul: NATURE (6)
DC: NEUTRAL (7) OUTLEARN (8)
Score: 73–16 (max 90)
Paul may have finally scored in a letters round, but it's too little, too late, as Annie wraps up her 4th win with 4 rounds still to play.....
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of some different types of flowers.
Round 12: D G S D E I A L R
Annie: GRIDDLES (8)
Paul: RIDE (4)
DC: REAL (4)
OT: ADELGIDS (8) GLADDIES (8)
Score: 81–16 (max 98)
Yet again, another top drawer spot by Annie. She really knows how to play this game
An ADELGID is an insect of the family Adelgidae, which comprises sap-feeding hemipteran insects resembling aphids.
Round 13: T S M O A E T R Y
Annie: MAESTRO (7)
Paul: -
DC: roaster TOASTER (7) TOASTY (6) MASTERY (7)
OT: MAROTTES (8)
Score: 88–16 (max 106)
Paul just blanks out, as Annie proves herself to be the real MAESTRO today.
A MAROTTE is a baton carried by a fool or jester as a mock emblem of office.
Round 14: 100, 50, 7, 3, 3, 4. Target: 943.
Annie: 943. ((7 + 3) x 100) - 50 - (4 + 3) (10)
Paul: -
Score: 98–16 (max 116)
Back-to-back blanks for Paul. He must be wondering if he would prefer to do the abseiling with the trombone again....
Round 15: M O O N P A N I C
Annie buzzes on 6 seconds to say COMPANION which is correct.
Final Score: 108–16 (max 126)
That conundrum solve just wraps it up for Annie, who has put in a commanding performance against Paul today, and has thoroughly deserved her 4th win. She will certainly be a threat to Andrew Fenton at the top of the leaderboard, should she win the next 4 shows....
I'll be back tomorrow to see if she can make it 5 out of 5. Till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Annie:
Total score - 108
Raw score - 108
Total % of max - 86
Raw % of max - 86
Total average score per round - 7.2
Raw average score per round - 7.2
Number of maxes - 8
Paul:
Total score - 16
Raw score - 60
Total % of max - 13
Raw % of max - 48
Total average score per round - 1.1
Raw average score per round - 4.0
Number of maxes - 1
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=75