Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 1 December 2011.
C1: Champion Phyllis Styles (2 wins, 137 points.) An Apterite from Sevenoaks, Kent. She likes birdwatching, cooking and quizzes. She says her greatest achievement is learning to drive, and even though she only passed on her 2nd test (better than me by a long way, 8), she says it was later in her life, so a more impressive achievement.
C2: Challenger James Siddall. A commodities analyst for an oil trading company originally from Leicester, but now living in London. He like golf, tennis, football and cricket, and even went Down Under at the end of last year and the start of this year to see England beat Australia in the Ashes in Melbourne and Sydney.
DC: Susie Dent and Robin Cousins.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: A O R L L F A E B
R02: C Q P I E I S O X
R03: S P E O N T U I R
R04: K T S M E E U A P
R05: 25, 6, 1, 5, 9, 3. Target: 641.
TTT: AGINGNOT - "Dancing, but the skin colour is fading fast"
R06: N R P I E A R S D
R07: T L I E R C U O N
R08: N V S E A T F O O
R09: A E M N O E W T R
R10: 100, 50, 10, 7, 4, 5. Target: 896.
TTT: THYCLAIM - "It's definitely a claim, but it's not really true"
R11: N R U E S T O A R
R12: D Z C O I E T H A
R13: S G E I J T E A D
R14: 100, 50, 9, 4, 8, 10. Target: 349.
R15: G E T G I R D E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Enjoy the show.
Round 1: A O R L L F A E B
C1: FALLER (6)
C2: FLORAL (6)
DC: AREOLA (6)
OT: ABORAL (6) ARABLE (6) AROLLA (6) BALLER (6) BEFALL (6) BOREAL (6) FABLER (6) LABRAL (6) LOAFER (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)
Flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat.
ABORAL is an anatomical term meaning opposite to or away from the mouth.
AROLLA (or PINUS CEMBRA) is a large five-needled European pine; it yields cembra nuts and a resinous exudate.
BOREAL is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the north wind.
Round 2: C Q P I E I S O X
C1: COPIES (6)
C2: PIXIES (6)
Score: 12–12 (max 12)
Just the two 6's here.
Round 3: S P E O N T U I R
C1: PROTEINS (8)
C2: PUNTERS (7)
DC: POINTERS (8) ERUPTIONS (18)
Score: 20–12 (max 30)
DC go 9-tastic, as Phyllis takes the first lead in today's show.
Round 4: K T S M E E U A P
C1: AMPUTEES (8)
C2: uptakes - Susie did say fine, but it actually isn't.
Score: 28–12 (max 38)
Phyllis advantage is doubled thanks to an impressive darrenic 8.
Round 5: 25, 6, 1, 5, 9, 3. Target: 641.
C1: 644.
C2: 639. (((9 x 3) - 1) x 25) - (6 + 5) (7)
RR: 641. (((25 x 6) + 9) x (3 + 1)) + 5 (10)
Score: 28–19 (max 48)
James gets back in the game with his 2 away, but Rachel shows us how it's done.
Robin talks about his upcoming role as an ambassador at the 2012 Olympics.
Teatime teaser: AGINGNOT -> TANGOING
Round 6: N R P I E A R S D
C1: SPRAINED (8)
C2: SPRAINED (8)
DC: DRAINERS (8)
OT: PARDNERS (8) SERRANID (8)
Score: 36–27 (max 56)
Quite a few 8's around, as the gap remains in single figures.
Round 7: T L I E R C U O N
C1: COUNTER (7)
C2: COUNTER (7)
DC: NOCTULE (7)
OT: NEUROTIC (8) OUTLINER (8)
Score: 43–34 (max 64)
While I was searching frantically for a non-existent 9, while DC can't even spot the 2 not-so-irregular 8's that are available.
Round 8: N V S E A T F O O
C1: FASTEN (6)
C2: FESTOON (7)
DC: NOVATES (7)
Score: 43–41 (max 71)
James is well in it now with his 7.
Round 9: A E M N O E W T R
C1: WANTER (6)
C2: WANTER (6)
DC: WATERMEN (8)
Score: 49–47 (max 79)
DC go darrenic again as the contestants are found WANTERs.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the similes, "as mad as a hatter", "as right as ninepence", "as sure as x is x"
Round 10: 100, 50, 10, 7, 4, 5. Target: 896.
C1: 895. ((4 + 5) x 100) - (50 / 10) (7)
C2: 897. ((4 + 5) x 100) - (10 - 7) (7)
RR: 896. ((100 - 5) x 10) - 50 - 4 (10)
Score: 56–54 (max 89)
Trickier than it looks. Even now, I've only just seen (((10 / 5) + 7) x 100) - 4.
Teatime teaser: THYCLAIM -> MYTHICAL
Round 11: N R U E S T O A R
C1: RANTERS (7)
C2: ROASTER (7)
DC: SAUNTER (7) TURNERS (7) NATURES (7)
OT: RETURNS (7) ROUTERS (7) SANTERO (7) SENATOR (7) SNORTER (7) SOUTANE (7) TONSURE (7) TOURERS (7) TREASON (7) TROUSER (7)
Score: 63–61 (max 96)
Loadsa loadsa 7's available here, but I was sure of an 8 or even a 9 there. Amazing how the mind tricks you.
Round 12: D Z C O I E T H A
C1: CHEAT (5)
C2: cozied
DC: ZODIAC (6) CATHODE (7)
OT: ACHIOTE (7)
Score: 68–61 (max 103)
Just when it looks like that James is to snatch the lead away from Phyllis, he gives an American 6, and Phyllis' lead goes to 7.
An ACHIOTE (or ANNATTO or LIPSTICK TREE) is a small tree, Bixa orellana, of tropical America.
Round 13: S G E I J T E A D
C1: AGISTED (7)
C2: JESTED (6)
DC: JADEITE (7)
OT: EDGIEST (7) IDEATES (7)
Score: 75–61 (max 110)
And that's an impressive 7 spot to give Phyllis even more daylight, as well as a bit more reassurance.
Round 14: 100, 50, 9, 4, 8, 10. Target: 349.
C1: 349. (100 x 4) - 50 - (9 - 8) (10)
C2: 349. (100 x 4) - 50 - (10 - 9) (10)
Score: 85–71 (max 120)
I almost thought that Phyllis hadn't got it then, but she does, and that gives her the hat-trick.
Round 15: G E T G I R D E R
C1 buzzes on 15.5 seconds to say TRIGGERED which is correct.
Final Score: 95–71 (max 130)
And again, she didn't seem certain of herself, but Phyllis gets the conundrum, and after 2 middling performances, she puts in a top show against an impressive opponent.
She'll be back tomorrow to try for half-octochampdom status, and you can join Mike to see how she does.
I'll be back on Wednesday for the last preliminary, before the 1st quarter-final of the series next Thursday.
Till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Phyllis:
Total score - 95
Raw score - 108
Total % of max - 73
Raw % of max - 83
Total average score per round - 6.3
Raw average score per round - 7.2
Number of maxes - 8
James:
Total score - 71
Raw score - 84
Total % of max - 55
Raw % of max - 65
Total average score per round - 4.7
Raw average score per round - 5.6
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65
