Monday 17th May 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 96)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Monday 17th May 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 96)

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Countdown recap for Monday 17 May 2021.

Nick talks about The Wizard of Oz, published on this day 100 years ago.

C1: Champion Neil McLelland (1 win, 94 points.)
C2: Challenger Cindy Burfoot. Recently (15-18 months ago, just before Covid... so not that recent?) moved to Devon. Early retiree. Likes sea swimming.
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Madeley.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: M R S A E A L C U
R02: N E M E B S I G V
R03: 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 8. Target: 334.
TTT: RITANUTS - "Everywhere Rita looked, she saw nuts. It was the wrong sort of camp."
R04: N D O M O R I F G
R05: S C S A O E D H R
R06: 50, 8, 6, 3, 9, 10. Target: 688.
R07: K P T A O E L F Y
R08: R N U R E T I C D
R09: 9, 8, 3, 7, 10, 4. Target: 631.
TTT: NUDELUMP - "It's a nude lump, but it hangs down and swings both ways."
R10: S R A T I P E G T
R11: P S N E O A L R L
R12: D V O T E N A S O
R13: T B P I E E W L T
R14: 100, 9, 2, 10, 5, 4. Target: 793.
R15: U T T E R D I S S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: M R S A E A L C U

Neil: SCREAM (6)
Cindy: MACULAR (7)
DC: CARAMELS (8)
OT: ALMACURS (8) CAESURAL (8) MACERALS (8) MACLURAS (8) MUSELAAR (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Cindy takes an early lead with the good spot of MACULAR, whilst Richard can offer CARAMEL but omits the S, pointed out by Susie.

Round 2: N E M E B S I G V

Neil: SEEMING (7)
Cindy: BEINGS (6)
DC: BINGES (6)
OT: NEMBIES (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 15, jos 15)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

Neil hits back with one of only two available 7s, one of which is not spotted by DC.

Round 3: 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 8. Target: 334.

Neil: 335. Mistake in working.
Cindy: 335. 6 × 8 × (4 + 3) − 1 (7)
RR: 334. (4 × 8 + 5) × (6 + 3) + 1 (10)
Score: 7–14 (max 25, jos 25)

Neil's not written down solution goes wrong after just one step, allowing Cindy to regain her 7-point lead, whilst Rachel can find the missing one.

Teatime teaser: RITANUTS -> NATURIST

Round 4: N D O M O R I F G

Neil: MOORING (7)
Cindy: ROOFING (7)
DC: ROOMING (7) FORMING (7)
OT: FORDOING (8)
Score: 14–21 (max 33, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Sevens all around, but the eight goes unnoticed by Susie.

Round 5: S C S A O E D H R

Neil: crosshead (risky) (disallowed as two words)
Cindy: CRASHED (7)
DC: ROACHES (7)
OT: SADCORES (8)
Score: 14–28 (max 41, jos 39)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)

Neil's risky 9 is in the dictionary but as two words. Cindy and Dictionary Corner can go to seven, but the computer can get to eight.

Round 6: 50, 8, 6, 3, 9, 10. Target: 688.

Neil: 688. (3 × 6 + 50) × 10 + 8 (10)
Cindy: 688. (6 + 8) × 50 − (9 + 3)​ (10)
Score: 24–38 (max 51, jos 49)

Ariana.

Richard tells a rather dull story about how a jogger got upset with their 5-year-old jogging companion outside Richard's house. Whilst Richard was being paparazzi-ed. That last bit's not important, Richard just put that in presumably to make us feel sorry for him.

Round 7: K P T A O E L F Y

Neil: FLAKEY (6)
Cindy: FOETAL (6)
DC: FLOATY (6) TEAPOY (6)
OT: FEALTY (6) FOLATE (6) KEYPAL (6) PELOTA (6)
Score: 30–44 (max 57, jos 55)
Darren-o-meter: 2/5 (40%)

Susie a little iffy around FLAKEY with an E, but once it's allowed we can safely move on.

Round 8: R N U R E T I C D

Neil: crudite - only +S allowed
Cindy: CURRIED (7)
DC: diuretic CURRENT (7)
OT: INCURRED (8) INTRUDER (8) REINDUCT (8)
Score: 30–51 (max 65, jos 62)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)

Neil tries CRUDITE^ in the singular and it's no dice for him, sadly. Richard spots a phantom I, and three eights go unnoticed by Dictionary Corner.

Round 9: 9, 8, 3, 7, 10, 4. Target: 631.

Neil: 631. 9 × 7 × 10 + 4 − 3​ (10)
Cindy: 631. 9 × 7 × 10 + 4 − 3​ (10)
Score: 40–61 (max 75, jos 72)

Ariana.

Teatime teaser: NUDELUMP -> PENDULUM

Not sure what Damian was smoking when he came up with these risqué teasers.

Round 10: S R A T I P E G T

Neil: GRAPIEST (8) (risk)
Cindy: PIRATES (7)
DC: GRATES (6) STRAIT (6) ARTISTE (7) PARGETS (7)
Score: 48–61 (max 83, jos 80)
Darren-o-meter: 3/7 (43%)

Neil's risk of GRAPIEST pays off, as it's the darren and reduces the lead to 13 points.

Round 11: P S N E O A L R L

Neil: POLLERS (7)
Cindy: PERSONAL (8)
OT: LLANEROS (8) PALLONES (8) PSORALEN (8)
Score: 48–69 (max 91, jos 88)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)

An excellent eight from Cindy is able to extend her lead to 21 points.

Susie talks about phrases we get from Pliny the Elder.

Round 12: D V O T E N A S O

Neil: ADVENTS (7)
Cindy: ADVENTS (7)
DC: NOTED (5) VOTED (5) STONED (6) ODONATES (8)
Score: 55–76 (max 99, jos 96)
Darrem-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)

ODONATES is an excellent eight from Susie but our two contestants are only on seven, and now Neil is running out of time.

Round 13: T B P I E E W L T

Neil: wittle
Cindy: TWEET (5)
DC: PEEWIT (6) BLEWIT (6)
OT: PELITE (6) PETITE (6) PETTLE (6) PIELET (6) PITTLE (6) WETTIE (6)
Score: 55–81 (max 105, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)

Neil's last-ditch gamble of "whittle without the H" fails, and Cindy's five gets her across the line. Lots of sixes available but it's of no matter now to Neil.

Round 14: 100, 9, 2, 10, 5, 4. Target: 793.

Neil: 793. (100 − 4 × 5) × 10 − (9​ − 2) (10)
Cindy: 793. 2 × 4 × 100 − 9​ + 10 ÷ 5 (10)
Score: 65–91 (max 115, jos 112)

And an Ariana to finish.

Round 15: U T T E R D I S S

No one buzzes. Susie offers on 30-and-about-5 seconds to say STURDIEST.
Final Score: 65–91 (max 125, jos 122)

No one nabs the conundrum, leaving it up to Susie to take it, and Cindy to take the game 91-65, although one wonders if we're running out of teapots.

Join us tomorrow for more Countdown. Until then, stay Countdown!

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=83
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