Countdown recap for Thursday 13 August 2020.
C1: Champion Brendan Russell-Cooper (3 wins, 240 points.) A retired business improvement manager from Bradford.
C2: Challenger Matt Clawson. A technical officer in the waste water industry from Rossendale, Lancashire. He likes doing fell running in his spare time.
DC: Susie Dent and Dr. Phil Hammond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E A O D N V N T E
R02: C D B U A O R F I
R03: 100, 25, 9, 6, 4, 3. Target: 203.
TTT: LARVALICE - "You may not know what this is, but the chances are you've had it."
R04: J A T I M O N C E
R05: I A O I S Y T R F
R06: 25, 75, 2, 6, 2, 3. Target: 386.
R07: U O A I X H R S T
R08: R Y N E E O D T A
R09: 2, 7, 9, 6, 4, 5. Target: 177.
TTT: CHOSEREAR - "The one he chose remained at the rear of the field, and he lost his money."
R10: C I T A N E M L I
R11: O A E O D B Z R D
R12: L E S C O U K L E
R13: A E I O N V S C D
R14: 75, 100, 7, 9, 3, 5. Target: 337.
R15: D E B U T L O S S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: E A O D N V N T E
Brendan: ADVENT (6)
Matt: DONATE (6)
DC: NOVATED (7)
OT: ENDNOTE (7) NEONATE (7) TENONED (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)
6's and 7's to start the day today.
An ENDNOTE is a note printed at the end of a book or section of a book.
Round 2: C D B U A O R F I
Brendan: BOARD (5)
Matt: FABRIC (6)
DC: CARDIO (6) CARIBOU (7)
Score: 6–12 (max 14)
Matt takes the lead thanks to a lovely FABRIC, while DC go for the MAX with a "deer" 7.
Round 3: 100, 25, 9, 6, 4, 3. Target: 203.
Brendan: 203. ((6 - 4) x 100) + 3 (10)
Matt: 203. ((6 - 4) x 100) + 3 (10)
Score: 16–22 (max 24)
Simples...
Teatime teaser: LARVALICE -> VARICELLA
Round 4: J A T I M O N C E
Brendan: MINCE (5)
Matt: CINEMA (6)
DC: MACONITE (8) ACONITE (7)
OT: NOEMATIC (8)
Score: 16–28 (max 32)
Matt doubles his lead, whilst DC get a great 8.
In phenomenology, NOEMATIC is an adjective relating to, or connected with a noema, an object of perception or thought, as opposed to a process or aspect of perceiving or thinking.
Round 5: I A O I S Y T R F
Brendan: FROSTY (6)
Matt: FROSTY (6)
DC: STORIFY (7)
OT: OSTIARY (7)
Score: 22–34 (max 39)
Yummy FROSTYs....
An OSTIARY is a doorkeeper, especially of a church; specifically a member of the lowest of the four lesser orders in the pre-Reformation Western Church, and later in the Roman Catholic Church.
Round 6: 25, 75, 2, 6, 2, 3. Target: 386.
Brendan: 387. ((2 + 3) x 75) + (6 x 2) (7)
Matt: 387. ((2 + 3) x 75) + (6 x 2) (7)
RR: 386. (((75 + 6) x 3) - (2 x 25)) x 2 (10)
Score: 29–41 (max 49)
Rach solves it as she does, with Matt still maintaining his lead.
Dr. Phil's anecdote has been cut out for the second day in a row....
Round 7: U O A I X H R S T
Brendan: SHORT (5)
Matt: TAXIS (5)
DC: AUTHORS (7) SAUTOIR (7)
OT: ROUTISH (7)
Score: 34–46 (max 56)
That might not be the last time we see some TAXIS today...
ROUTISH is an adjective meaning resembling or of the nature of a rout; especially disorderly, unruly.
Round 8: R Y N E E O D T A
Brendan: TENDER (6)
Matt: ENTRY (5)
DC: TRENDY (6)
OT: AERODYNE (8)
Score: 40–46 (max 64)
Brendan halves Matt's lead with his TENDER offering.
Round 9: 2, 7, 9, 6, 4, 5. Target: 177.
Brendan: 180. (9 x 7 x (6 / 2)) - (4 + 5) (7)
Matt: -
RR: 177. (4 x 5 x 9) - (6 / 2) (10)
Score: 47–46 (max 74)
And Brendan's 6 small gamble pays off as he takes the lead for the first time today.
Teatime teaser: CHOSEREAR -> RACEHORSE
Round 10: C I T A N E M L I
Brendan: LAMENT (6)
Matt: MALICE (6)
DC: CLIMATE (7) MILITANCE (18)
Score: 53–52 (max 92)
An impressive 9 from DC, but our players stick with 6.
Round 11: O A E O D B Z R D
Brendan: derobed
Matt: BROODED (7)
DC: BOOZER (6)
OT: BOARDED (7) DEBOARD (7) ROADBED (7)
Score: 53–59 (max 99)
Ooooops, double bad luck for Brendan, as you can't be derobed, and there was only 1 E anyway.
A ROADBED is the material laid down to form a road.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "taxi".
Round 12: L E S C O U K L E
Brendan: CLOSE (5)
Matt: SUCKLE (6)
DC: COULEES (7)
OT: CELLOSE (7) LOCULES (7) OCELLUS (7)
Score: 53–65 (max 106)
Matt doubles his lead once again, thanks to a nice little SUCKLE...
CELLOSE (or CELLOBIOSE) is a disaccharide consisting of two glucose units, obtained by the partial hydrolysis of cellulose.
A LOCULE is each of a number of small separate cavities, especially in an ovary.
An OCELLUS is another term for simple eye or eyespot.
Round 13: A E I O N V S C D
Brendan: INVADES (7)
Matt: COSINE (6)
DC: VOIDANCE (8) VOIDANCES (18)
Score: 60–65 (max 124)
Brendan gets back in it again, thanks appropriately to INVADES, while DC get their second 9 of the day.
Round 14: 75, 100, 7, 9, 3, 5. Target: 337.
Brendan: 338. (100 x 3) + (9 x 5) - 7 (7)
Matt: 335.
RR: 337. (75 x 3) + 100 + 7 + 5 (10)
Score: 67–65 (max 134)
And yet again, Brendan's numbers put him in a good position, as he retakes the lead, but it still leaves us with a crucial conundrum....
Round 15: D E B U T L O S S
No one buzzes. The answer was DOUBTLESS.
Final Score: 67–65 (max 144)
Well, Rach was definitely not DOUBTLESS in solving this, but thankfully for Brendan, a no-solve means he now becomes a half-octochamp, but I think Matt will wonder how that one got away...
Join me tomorrow for the final instalment of this week's return
Statistics Corner
Brendan:
Total score - 67
Raw score - 82
Total % of max - 47
Raw % of max - 57
Total average score per round - 4.5
Raw average score per round - 5.5
Number of maxes - 1
Matt:
Total score - 65
Raw score - 83
Total % of max - 45
Raw % of max - 58
Total average score per round - 4.3
Raw average score per round - 5.5
Number of maxes - 2
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82