Sadly, I can't guarantee a recap that's 3 times as good....
But, enjoy anyway.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 18 April 2012.
C1: Champion Hilary White (2 wins, 169 points.) From Harrow Barrow, Cornwall. Her favourite film is Cinema Paradiso.
C2: Challenger Matt Heal. From Sandford, Somerset. He works as a lab technician at a cider company, mainly in the sampling section.
DC: Susie Dent and Margaret Mountford.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D R S A E A M T E
R02: D T N A E C T U A
R03: R S B E O E D R I
R04: S C O S B E A Q W
R05: 7, 3, 6, 2, 10, 10, . Target: 396.
TTT: RUNSTIME - "If the bus runs to time, it'll get here on schedule"
R06: L N Z I O I R P U
R07: F T F E I E D S V
R08: L A R P O S T U E
R09: L G M I A E R C A
R10: 5, 6, 7, 4, 9, 1. Target: 791.
TTT: INTERCUT - "This medicine is intercut with a bit of alcohol"
R11: N M H E I E N H S
R12: T L T O I S G R O
R13: S W Y I O R M U A
R14: 50, 2, 5, 2, 10, 3. Target: 749.
R15: C A S H G R E A T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: D R S A E A M T E
C1: STREAMED (8)
C2: STREAMED (8)
DC: MASTERED (8)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
Nice easy start for everyone today.
Round 2: D T N A E C T U A
C1: CANTED (6)
C2: TAUNTED (7)
DC: ACTUATED (8)
Score: 8–15 (max 16)
Matt makes the first move with his 7, while DC go one better with their darrenic 8.
Round 3: R S B E O E D R I
C1: REBORED (7)
C2: ROSIER (6)
DC: BORDERS (7) DISROBE (7) BEDSORE (7)
OT: DESORBER (8) RESORBED (8)
Score: 15–15 (max 24)
Matt's lead is negated straight away, but DC can't find either of the two 8's in this one............
To RESORB is to simply absorb again.
Round 4: S C O S B E A Q W
C1: BASES (5)
C2: BASES (5)
DC: seacows SWABS (5)
OT: BASSO (5) CASES (5) OASES (5) SCABS (5) SCOWS (5)
Score: 20–20 (max 29)
Plenty of 5's, since you can't have a single word SEA COW.
A BASSO is a person who sings bass.
A SCOW is any of various vessels having a flat-bottomed rectangular hull with sloping ends, built in various sizes with or without means of propulsion, as barges, punts, rowboats, or sailboats.
Round 5: 7, 3, 6, 2, 10, 10. Target: 396.
C1: 396. Mistake in working.
C2: 396. (10 x 10 x (6 - 2)) - (7 - 3) (10)
Score: 20–30 (max 39)
Hilary's use of 6 small is puzzling me even more after this one. A 1/4 success rate so far, and 3 of them were fairly easy including this one...........
Fatal mistake this time.... Margaret talks about a trip that she and Nick took to Istanbul, Turkey, as well as her love of the classical world and her papyrology studies.
Teatime teaser: RUNSTIME -> TERMINUS
Round 6: L N Z I O I R P U
C1: PURLOIN (7)
C2: IRON (4)
DC: PONZU (5)
Score: 27–30 (max 46)
Well, Hilary's made up a bit for that numbers error by spotting the darren.
Round 7: F T F E I E D S V
C1: FESTIVE (7)
C2: STIFFED (7)
Score: 34–37 (max 53)
Just the two 7's here, and both are accounted for.
Round 8: L A R P O S T U E
C1: postular
C2: POSTURAL (8)
DC: SPORULATE (18)
Score: 34–45 (max 71)
Nice one for the stemmers here, APTEROUS+L.
Matt's big risk pays off, as Hilary's proves to be fake, giving him a leggy lead of 11. Round 9: L G M I A E R C A
C1: MAGICAL (7)
C2: MIRACLE (7)
DC: GRIMACE (7) CLAIMER (7)
OT: CAMGIRL (7) CARAMEL (7) GLACIER (7) GRACILE (7) LAIRAGE (7) RAILAGE (7) RECLAIM (7) REGALIA (7)
Score: 41–52 (max 78)
Truly flat round.
GRACILE is an adjective meaning gracefully slender.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the phrase, "to run amok", and the word, "berserk".
Round 10: 5, 6, 7, 4, 9, 1. Target: 791.
C1: -
C2: -
RR: 792. (5 + 6) x 9 x (7 + 1) (7)
Score: 41–52 (max 85)
Another 6 small, but this time, the target is impossible, and one away is the best you can do.
Teatime teaser: INTERCUT -> TINCTURE
Round 11: N M H E I E N H S
C1: ENMESH (6)
C2: SHINE (5)
Score: 47–52 (max 91)
A very impressive darrenic spot by Hilary, and you get the feeling that this game will probably be going to the wire.
Round 12: T L T O I S G R O
C1: TOILS (5)
C2: STOOL (5)
DC: RISOTTO (7) OLOGIST (7)
OT: GLOTTIS (7) GROTTOS (7)
Score: 52–57 (max 98)
A few 7's here, but the contestant are happy with some TOILS and a STOOL.
Round 13: S W Y I O R M U A
C1: AMOURS (6)
C2: WARMS (5)
OT: MAYORS (6) MIAOWS (6) MORAYS (6)
Score: 58–57 (max 104)
And the tables have turned all of a sudden, as Hilary retakes the lead with just 2 rounds to go.
A MORAY is any of numerous chiefly tropical eels of the family Muraenidae, having porelike gill openings and no pectoral fins.
Round 14: 50, 2, 5, 2, 10, 3. Target: 749.
C1: 749. ((10 + 5) x 50) - (2 / 2) (10)
C2: 749. (5 x 3 x 50) - (2 / 2) (10)
Score: 68–67 (max 114)
And a nice easy numbers means that we do have a crucial to finish with today.
Round 15: C A S H G R E A T
C2 buzzes on 6.75 seconds to say GATECRASH which is correct.
Final Score: 68–77 (max 124)
And Matt literally GATECRASHes the party and takes the win.
Hilary had 2 fairly decent wins in the previous 2 days, but 2 wins aren't enough to keep her in the top 10. Matt has had a mixed day combining some easy misses, but finding good words like POSTURAL give him some hope for future shows. Can he carry on winning tomorrow, I wonder
Join me then to see if he can.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Hilary:
Total score - 68
Raw score - 74
Total % of max - 55
Raw % of max - 60
Total average score per round - 4.5
Raw average score per round - 4.9
Number of maxes - 8
Matt:
Total score - 77
Raw score - 97
Total % of max - 62
Raw % of max - 78
Total average score per round - 5.1
Raw average score per round - 6.5
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=66