C1: Champion Ben Hanks (4 wins, 339 points.)
C2: Challenger Mervyn Ward.
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
CV: Carol Vorderman.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T F E A P S B E R
R02: M N I E R T A I G
R03: T L T E U A E S C
R04: S R A E D C U E T
R05: 75, 1, 7, 5, 4, 9. Target: 414.
TTT: CHIPTEAT - ""It's this, isn't it?" said Richard"
R06: W M O E S N O A D
R07: P K L E O R T I N
R08: F Y O A V G E A S
R09: E N R S O U R L C
R10: 100, 9, 9, 8, 5, 1. Target: 599.
TTT: MEGANITS - "Furious while cooking fresh veg"
R11: N S M O A O M R I
R12: G H E A X L O O S
R13: D I R A E N D N T
R14: 100, 10, 5, 2, 7, 6. Target: 154.
R15: D U S T Y P I T I (conundrum)
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Ben is of course one of our own on this forum, so it's good to see him doing well. He''s halfway towards octochampdom, and I think has therefore also possibly nudged one of our other forumites off the leaderboards for the finals, so we also hate him as well. Such a conflict of emotions. Who would be fool enough to try and stop him today? Step forward Mervyn Ward of Northampton. "You're gonna meet this guy - and beat him" Des says to Ben of today's challenger, which possibly won't have done wonders for his confidence. Not only is Merv from Des' neck of the woods, his mum also used to know his mum or something, so as you can imagine he was in his absolute element as it didn't take quite so much effort to turn everything into an anecdote about himself. MIAOW.
Round 1: T F E A P S B E R
C1: FEASTER (7)
C2: BERATES (7)
DC: BEATERS (7) REPEATS (7) REBATES (7)
OT: AFREETS (7) PREFABS (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)
An afreet (also afrit) is (in Arabian and Muslim mythology) a powerful jinn or demon. A prefab is a prefabricated building.
Round 2: M N I E R T A I G
C1: TEARING (7)
C2: REMAIN (6)
DC: INERTIA (7) MINTIER (7) GARMENT (7) RAGTIME (7) GRANITE (7) MINARET (7) MIGRAINE (8)
OT: MERITING (8) IMAGINER (8) EMIGRANT (8) RETIMING (8)
Score: 14–7 (max 15)
Round 3: T L T E U A E S C
C1: CATTLE (6)
C2: esculate
DC: CUTLETS (7) ACUTEST (7) LETTUCES (8)
OT: TELECAST (8)
Score: 20–7 (max 23)
"Esculate" scored a big round of applause (if no points) which was quite amusing.
Round 4: S R A E D C U E T
C1: CUSTARD (7)
C2: SACRED (6)
DC: EDUCATES (8) REDUCTASE (18)
OT: TRADUCES (8)
Score: 27–7 (max 41)
Reductase is an enzyme which promotes the chemical reduction of another substance.
Round 5: 75, 1, 7, 5, 4, 9. Target: 414.
C1: 416.
C2: 414.75*(5+1)-9*4 (10)
Score: 27–17 (max 51)
Teatime teaser: CHIPTEAT -> PATHETIC
Round 6: W M O E S N O A D
C1: MOANED (6)
C2: SWOONED (7)
DC: MEADOWS (7) DAEMONS (7)
OT: WOODSMAN (8) WOODSMEN (8)
Score: 27–24 (max 59)
Round 7: P K L E O R T I N
C1: PLONKER (7)
C2: POINTER (7)
DC: planter tinkler
OT: POLITER (7) PROLINE (7) PROTEIN (7) REPOINT (7) RETINOL (7)
Score: 34–31 (max 66)
Pretty poor offerings by DC, they did state that they'd checked TINKLER and it wasn't in, but failed to mention that there was no 'A' in the selection for planter. Oops!
Plonker is plenty amusing enough in its own right, but Des compounds it by mentioning that a "hot plonker" is a type of iron.
Round 8: F Y O A V G E A S
C1: VOYAGES (7)
C2: VOYAGES (7)
DC: FOGEYS (6)
Score: 41–38 (max 73)
Round 9: E N R S O U R L C
C1: SCOURER (7)
C2: CLOSER (6)
DC: CLOSURE (7) CURLERS (7)
Score: 48–38 (max 80)
Lots of other sevens here that I can't be bothered to list.
Round 10: 100, 9, 9, 8, 5, 1. Target: 599.
C1: 599.(5+1)*100-9+8 (10)
C2: 599.(5+1)*100-9+8 (10)
Score: 58–48 (max 90)
Teatime teaser: MEGANITS -> STEAMING
Carol informs us as we return from the break that some people have been on the internet, and confirmed that a hot plonker is the iron used by a tailor to put creases in trousers. My plonker puts creases in my trousers occasionally too.
Round 11: N S M O A O M R I
C1: MORONS (6)
C2: aromas
DC: MAROONS (7)
OT: MANOIRS (7) MORIONS (7)
Score: 64–48 (max 97)
A manoir is a french country house, and morion is both a kind of helmet, and a variety of quartz.
Round 12: G H E A X L O O S
C1: LEASH (5)
C2: AXLES (5)
DC: HOAX GASOHOL (7)
Score: 69–53 (max 104)
Odd that Paul should mention hoax (which doesn't beat the contestants) and fail to mention hoaxes (which does). Gasohol is a stupid American hybrid sort of word.
Round 13: D I R A E N D N T
C1: TRAINED (7)
C2: DRAINED (7)
DC: DETRAIN (7)
OT: DANDIER (7) DINNAED (7) ENTRAIN (7) TRANNIE (7)
Score: 76–60 (max 111)
"Dinna" (also dinnae) is a confusing one - it's in as a verb meaning "don't" in Scotch speak, but it doesn't give us any help as to how to conjugate it. So I really don't know if dinnaed (or dinnaes, dinnaeing etc) would be allowed. The previous Des always used to get slightly twitchy when "trannie(s)" was mentioned as well (ask your parents about that one, youngsters
)Round 14: 100, 10, 5, 2, 7, 6. Target: 154.
C1: 154.(7+2)*6+100 (10)
C2: 154.100+5*10+6-2 (10)
Score: 86–70 (max 121)
Round 15: D U S T Y P I T I
C1 buzzes on 1 second to say STUPIDITY which is correct.
Score: 96–70 (max 131)
A very quick conundrum spot gives Ben his fifth victory... and lo, Des' prophecy at the start of the show came to pass.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.thecountdowncorral.com/cd/se ... ?series=58
