Tuesday 18th May 2021 (Series 83, Preliminary 97)

[Rhys Benjamin]

It's Eurovision Semi Final One day. And Man Utd vs Fulham. But first, it's Countdown.

Countdown recap for Tuesday 18 May 2021.

Nick talks about expensive cock-ups, such as a salary being multiplied by 10, we should be so lucky.

C1: Champion Cindy Burfoot (1 win, 91 points.) Appears to be wearing one of my shirts - white with thick pink pinstripes. Wondered where it had got to.
C2: Challenger Zayd Ayo. From Rainham in Essex (not Rainham in Kent, I've made that mistake before), an A Level student. Second generation immigrant; parents came to the UK from Syria in the 1990s. I could make a geopolitical joke about his outfit resembling desert camouflage, but I'm not sure it would be politically correct.
DC: Susie Dent and Richard Madeley.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: W N I G A K A D Y
R02: C T O G S E N C E
R03: 100, 5, 6, 2, 10, 10. Target: 629.
TTT: EMUSCHIN - "That's her fourth packet of crisps on the trot, she's definitely got these."
R04: I O S P A T R E S
R05: D V E M I R O G O
R06: 50, 3, 10, 6, 8, 5. Target: 110.
R07: S F E N O T E S R
R08: L I B G S O T E M
R09: 50, 10, 1, 5, 3, 9. Target: 371.
TTT: ACRIDEND - "Their romance turned acrid towards the end, but they both gained this."
R10: T E D S O E B N A
R11: T L E R A D O P T
R12: R I L S E C D R I
R13: T W E N I J O N T
R14: 25, 100, 50, 3, 7, 1. Target: 371.
R15: Y O U R S U L C I (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: W N I G A K A D Y

Cindy: WAKING (6)
Zayd: AWAKING (7)
OT: GWYNIAD (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Oof, a dreadful start for Cindy as Zayd can prefix her word with an A for one of only two sevens available.

Round 2: C T O G S E N C E

Cindy: cogents (only an adjective, not a noun)
Zayd: SCONCE (6)
DC: CONGEST (7)
OT: CENOTES (7) CONGEES (7) COSTEEN (7) NEGOCES (7) OCTENES (7)
Score: 0–13 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

Zayd with a word I've never heard of to give him an early 13-point lead, but the max game is off as there's a plethora of sevens available.

Round 3: 100, 5, 6, 2, 10, 10. Target: 629.

Cindy: 629. (100 + 5) × 6 − 10 ÷ 10 (10)
Zayd: 629. (100 + 5) × 6 − 10 ÷ 10 (10)
Score: 10–23 (max 24, jos 24)

This is an Ariana. Gamesmanship with both players, says Rachel, as both players do not end round early.

Teatime teaser: EMUSCHIN -> MUNCHIES

Round 4: I O S P A T R E S

Cindy: PASTRIES (8)
Zayd: PASTORS (7)
DC: PATERS (6) SEAPORTS (8) PASTORIES (18)
OT: PAROTISES (18)
Score: 18–23 (max 42, jos 42)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)

I was with Cindy on PASTRIES, but you can throw an O in there for PASTORIES, says Susie, to take you to nine. The lead is reduced to just five points.

Round 5: D V E M I R O G O

Cindy: GROOMED (7)
Zayd: MOODIER (7)
DC: GRIMED (6) GROOMED (7) GROOVED (7) MOIDORE (7)
OT: DOOMIER (7) OVERDOG (7) VROOMED (7)
Score: 25–30 (max 49, jos 49)
Darren-o-meter: 0/4 (0%)

Lots of 7s here, Richard Madeley being the only person to offer anything else.

Round 6: 50, 3, 10, 6, 8, 5. Target: 110.

Cindy: 110. (8 − 6) × 50 + 10 (10)
Zayd: 110. (5 + 6) × 10 (10) (lnafp)
Score: 35–40 (max 59, jos 59)

Rachel makes a point of picking "THIS ONE" large. Doesn't matter anyway. thank u, next...

Richard presumably still thinks he's on Who Do You Think You Are? as he tells us his grandfather's life story.

Round 7: S F E N O T E S R

Cindy: FORESTS (7)
Zayd: TONERS (6)
DC: fenestre SOFTENERS (18)
OT: RESOFTENS (18)
Score: 42–40 (max 77, jos 77)
Darren-o-meter: 0/5 (0%)

Cindy takes the lead for the first time today, whilst Richard offers fenestre (phantom E) so reverts to SOFTENERS and is stunned to find it's a 9. Can't he count or something?

Round 8: L I B G S O T E M

Cindy: OBLIGES (7)
Zayd: boliest
DC: GLOBES (6) GIBLETS (7) MOBILES (7)
OT: EGOTISM (7) GIMLETS (7) GOBLETS (7) LOGIEST (7) MESITOL (7)
Score: 49–40 (max 84, jos 84)
Darren-o-meter: 0/6 (0%)

Not sure what Zayd was thinking of here, as BOLY isn't even in on its own. Seven for Cindy extends her lead to 9 points. BIOLOGIST for a double touch 9.

Round 9: 50, 10, 1, 5, 3, 9. Target: 371.

Cindy: -
Zayd: -
RR: 371. (50 + 3) × (9 − 10 ÷ 5) (10)
Score: 49–40 (max 94, jos 94)

"Sorry to be boring" says Cindy when asking for one large. They both blank, and it's Rachel's favourite here: a product of two primes, although 41 x 9 + 2 is what I saw: (50 − 10 + 1) × 9 + 5 − 3.

Teatime teaser: ACRIDEND -> RIDDANCE

Round 10: T E D S O E B N A

Cindy: DEBATES (7)
Zayd: STONED (6)
DC: TOADS (5) STEED (5) DONATES (7) BONESET (7) ABSENTED (8)
OT: ONSTEEAD (8)
Score: 56–40 (max 102, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 0/7 (0%)

Another extension of her lead with seven from Cindy. Susie spots ABSENTED to keep her on the max.

Round 11: T L E R A D O P T

Cindy: PRATTLED (8)
Zayd: ADOPTER (7)
DC: TETRAPOD (8)
OT: RATTLEPOD (18)
Score: 64–40 (max 120, jos 110)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)

Cindy pulls out even more points with her prattling, Zayd sees ADOPT in the selection and whacks the ER on the end, but Susie misses a max for the first time today as the computer comes up with RATTLEPOD for the game's third niner.

Susie talks about food-related idioms, eventually landing on "crying over spilt milk". One of my favourite Basil Brush jokes, that one, when he gets a little bit upset about knocking over his milkshake...

Round 12: R I L S E C D R I

Cindy: RELICS (6)
Zayd: RIDERS (6)
DC: RILES (5) SLICED (6) DRIERS (6)
OT: SIDERIC (7)
Score: 70–46 (max 127, jos 116)
Darren-o-meter: 2/9 (22%)

Zayd scores for the first time since round six, although the computer once again defeats everyone.

Round 13: T W E N I J O N T

Cindy: INTONE (6)
Zayd: ENJOIN (6)
DC: JOINT (5) WITTEN (6)
OT: TONTINE (7)
Score: 76–52 (max 134, jos 122)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)

This gets Cindy across the line as Zayd cannot find the darrenic TONTINE to beat her and keep the game alive.

Round 14: 25, 100, 50, 3, 7, 1. Target: 371.

Cindy: 371. (100 + 7) × 3 + 50 (10)
Zayd: 375.
Score: 86–52 (max 144, jos 132)

371 again!? Is CECIL stuck? Unfortunately no one appears to have been paying attention, as 53 × 7 is staring them straight in the face and they both miss it. D'oh.

Round 15: Y O U R S U L C I

Cindy buzzes on 5.25 seconds to say CURIOUSLY which is correct.
Final Score: 96–52 (max 154, jos 142)

A 44-point victory perhaps flatters Cindy a little. Zayd gave her a good scare and on another day might have won it. But hey, at least the show isn't running out of teapots any more.

We start to look towards finals week which is now only 4-5 weeks away... will Cindy be there?

Join us tomorrow for more Countdown.


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