Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 24 August 2016.
C1: Champion Natalie Matale (1 win, 84 points.) An advice centre volunteer from London.
C2: Challenger John McDonald. A retired construction worker from Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire. In the early days of Countdown, he watched the show with his granny, who after 3 months of watching the show, asked him "What's a consonant?"
DC: Susie Dent and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: P G S U O A R N S
R02: V E D I S M A D R
R03: 25, 7, 6, 9, 2, 10. Target: 195.
TTT: INDIAGEM - "John often thought of everyone living in peace."
R04: S O N D E T I N S
R05: T L W A O A N R Q
R06: 75, 50, 100, 1, 1, 10. Target: 434.
R07: T P R I E U D T L
R08: R T I O H E L U C
R09: 25, 7, 1, 3, 10, 2. Target: 659.
TTT: LICKCOAT - "It's nothing to do with clothes, but "mai tai" is connected to it."
R10: G O N E S I P T L
R11: N M R E A I E H J
R12: R O Y E T P I G T
R13: D M U A S R L O N
R14: 100, 50, 3, 6, 5, 9. Target: 526.
R15: T O N G V I C A R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: P G S U O A R N S
Natalie: SARONG (6)
John: GROANS (6)
DC: SARONGS (7) PARSONS (7)
OT: GOPURAS (7) RUGOSAS (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)
6 apiece, but if Natalie had pluralised her offering, it would've been a magnificent 7 for her.
A RUGOSA is a SE Asian rose with dark green wrinkled leaves and deep pink flowers, widely used as a hedging plant. (Rosa rugosa, family Rosaceae)
Round 2: V E D I S M A D R
Natalie: ADVISER (7)
John: DREAMS (6)
DC: MISREAD (7) ADMIRES (7) DISARMED (8)
Score: 13–6 (max 15)
Natalie scores with her job.
Round 3: 25, 7, 6, 9, 2, 10. Target: 195.
Natalie: 194.
John: 195. (25 x 7) + (2 x 10) (10)
Score: 13–16 (max 25)
Bad miss there from Natalie, as John takes the lead off her....
Teatime teaser: INDIAGEM -> IMAGINED
Round 4: S O N D E T I N S
Natalie: INDENTS (7)
John: STONED (6)
DC: INTONES (7) INTENDS (7) NOSIEST (7) TENSIONS (8)
Score: 20–16 (max 33)
But, Natalie regains it immediately with her INDENTS, but the TENSIONS are around in DC, who have a darrenic 8.
Round 5: T L W A O A N R Q
Natalie: TRAWL (5)
John: misdeclared 5
DC: ATONAL (6)
OT: ANTRAL (6) TALWAR (6)
Score: 25–16 (max 39)
Oh dear, John forgets his 5 and Natalie slowly creeps further ahead....
ANTRAL is an adjective relating to ANTRUM, a natural chamber or cavity in a bone or other anatomical structure.
Round 6: 75, 50, 100, 1, 1, 10. Target: 434.
Natalie: 436. Mistake in working.
John: 427. (10 x 50) - 75 + 1 + 1 (5)
RR: 434. ((50 + 1) x (10 - 1)) - (100 - 75) (10)
Score: 25–21 (max 49)
This time it's Natalie's turn to forget her workings out and John negates the last round with his 7 away.
Tanni talks about her daughter Carys, and how Tanni didn't quite "time" her birth right for her Paralympic training schedule.
Round 7: T P R I E U D T L
Natalie: TRIPLED (7)
John: PUTTED (6)
DC: PUTTIED (7)
OT: DILUTER (7) PITTLED (7) RUTTLED (7) TRIPLET (7)
Score: 32–21 (max 56)
Natalie has actually as good as TRIPLED her advantage thanks to her 7, although if John had stuck the I in his, he'd have equalled her efforts....
To PITTLE is to spend time in trifling activities.
To RUTTLE is to rattle; especially to make a rattling noise in the throat.
Round 8: R T I O H E L U C
Natalie: -
John: TOUCHER (7)
DC: CLOTHIER (8) TOUCHIER (8)
OT: CHLORITE (8)
Score: 32–28 (max 64)
Like in yesterday's game, Natalie has a moment of absence, and it lets John back in, but yet again, he misses sticking the I in his word for an extra point.....
Round 9: 25, 7, 1, 3, 10, 2. Target: 659.
Natalie: 675.
John: 659. Mistake in working.
RR: 659. (((3 x 25) - 7 - 2) x 10) - 1 (10)
Score: 32–28 (max 74)
Dear oh dear, Natalie is too far away, and John messes his method, as this low-scoring encounter heads into the second break....
Teatime teaser: LICKCOAT -> COCKTAIL
Round 10: G O N E S I P T L
Natalie: ELOPING (7)
John: spoting
DC: PIGEONS (7) PONGIEST (8)
OT: PESTLING (8) POINTELS (8) POTLINES (8)
Score: 39–28 (max 82)
John thought he was spotting something, until he realised he needed another T for it....
A POINTEL is a pointed organ in a flower; specifically the pistil, the style, a stamen. Also occasionally: some or all of these organs collectively.
A POTLINE is a line of retorts used for the electrolytic production of aluminium.
Round 11: N M R E A I E H J
Natalie: MARINE (6)
John: REMAIN (6)
DC: MEANER (6) AIRMEN (6) MEANIE (6)
OT: MIHANERE (8) MIJNHEER (8)
Score: 45–34 (max 90)
6's all around the studio, but two nasty 8's were left hidden.....
A MIHANERE is a Maori convert to (especially Protestant) Christianity; a Protestant Maori.
A MIJNHEER is a Dutchman or an Afrikaner; especially one who is a gentleman.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of some Roman terms.
Round 12: R O Y E T P I G T
Natalie: POTTIER (7)
John: POTTIER (7)
DC: PITTER (6)
OT: PETITORY (8)
Score: 52–41 (max 98)
Both players seem to be as POTTIER as one another......
PETITORY is an adjective relating to a claim made or established by means of a petition to a court.
Round 13: D M U A S R L O N
Natalie: AROUND (6)
John: dumas
DC: UNLOADS (7) MODULAR (7) MURALS (6)
OT: ALMONDS (7) DOLMANS (7) LARDONS (7) LURDANS (7) MADUROS (7) MANDORS (7) MANDURS (7) NODULAR (7) NORMALS (7) OSMUNDA (7) RANDOMS (7) RODSMAN (7) SOLANUM (7) SOLUNAR (7) UNMORAL (7)
Score: 58–41 (max 105)
7's all AROUND, but Natalie's 6 sees her go 17 clear with just 2 rounds to go......
MADURO is the darkest of the grades of colour into which cigars are divided.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, a MANDOR (or MANDUR) is a foreman or overseer.
A RODSMAN is quite simply a person who fishes with a rod and line; an angler.
Round 14: 100, 50, 3, 6, 5, 9. Target: 526.
Natalie: 527. (100 x 5) + (6 x 3) + 9 (7)
John: 527. Mistake in working.
RR: 526. ((100 - 6) x 5) + 50 + 9 - 3 (10)
Score: 65–41 (max 115)
It all goes wrong for John as his 1 away wasn't there, and Natalie's was, which gives Natalie her 2nd win.
Round 15: T O N G V I C A R
John buzzes on 1.25 seconds to say CAVORTING which is correct.
Final Score: 65–51 (max 125)
But, at least John gets the conundrum, which he also did on Monday's episode, when neither contestant spotted that UPTRACHEA
PARACHUTE.So, Natalie wins her second game, but it wasn't as convincing a win as her first, and she'll have a tricky time tomorrow against Apteforumite Martin Hurst.
Will she make it 3 in a row
Join me tomorrow for that. Until then, bye for now. 
Statistics Corner
Natalie:
Total score - 65
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 52
Raw % of max - 58
Total average score per round - 4.3
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 1
John:
Total score - 51
Raw score - 69
Total % of max - 41
Raw % of max - 55
Total average score per round - 3.4
Raw average score per round - 4.6
Number of maxes - 2
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=75