Monday 16th July 2012 (Series 67, Prelim 11)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 16 July 2012.

Not long now until London hosts the sporting event we've all been waiting for, as elite competitors come from afar to do battle against each other. But aside from CobliviLon, there's some kind of athletics tournament going on as well. I can promise you that at the Punch Tavern on 4th-5th August there will be no brand police roving the venue clamping down on the use of unlicensed words; if you want to order chips you won't be forced by sponsorship obligations to go to McDonald's; and the security personnel were all booked and confirmed weeks ago (Kirk Bevins has been equipped with three small spears). About ten places are still available, so if you want to be part of the first ever overnight CO-event, contact Amie.

Meanwhile, on the ONLY Official Word-Based Tea-Time Channel Four Game Show of London 2012:

C1: Champion Paul James (6 wins, 591 points) is an apterite from Brampton in Cumbria. By the way, he is indeed the same Paul James who appeared on the show in 1998, when he was pipped by two points.
C2: Challenger Phil Hopgood is a retail assistant from Newcastle. He was once a chauffeur to the rich and/or famous.
DC: Susie Dent and Dave Spikey.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: M N T S O U E O D
R02: W U B D I R T A N
R03: G L T S I E O E D
R04: R A D M E T B U R
R05: 25, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10. Target: 450.
TTT: SOLIDBAT - "They're often red, and can be quite blue at times."
R06: V A C R I X L E G
R07: P S R S O E O U P
R08: T I N Y E P L A N
R09: R V H K I O E S I
R10: 25, 9, 3, 4, 7, 5. Target: 123.
TTT: PUNMIGHT - "This great victory packed a punch."
R11: T H R S O I A E R
R12: N T O C N I M G U
R13: N S T Q I E A E R
R14: 75, 4, 7, 10, 10, 3. Target: 160.
R15: S P E N D A R A P (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: M N T S O U E O D

C1: DEMOUNTS (8)
C2: MOUNTED (7)
DC: MOONSET (7)
OT: DUOTONES (8) MUDSTONE (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)

No sooner has Phil MOUNTED the challenger's chair than Paul shows him where to get off. DEMOUNTS is good for eight. Susie comes up with MOONSET, which is only a seven but uses both appearances of the Official vOwel Of LOndOn 2O12.


Round 2: W U B D I R T A N

C1: UNITARD (7)
C2: UNBRAID (7)
DC: TURBAN (6) ANTBIRD (7)
Score: 15–7 (max 15)

One of those awkward-looking E-less selections. The contestants do well to dig two of the three available sevens out of it.


Round 3: G L T S I E O E D

C1: EDGIEST (7)
C2: LISTED (6)
DC: SOILED (6)
OT: GODLIEST (8)
Score: 22–7 (max 23)

Paul goes further in front. Everyone misses GODLIEST for eight.


Round 4: R A D M E T B U R

C1: MATURER (7)
C2: rubbed
DC: DRUMBEAT (8)
Score: 29–7 (max 31)

Phil sees two Bs in this selection, and in any case Paul has him beaten with MATURER. Dave asks if DRUMBEAT is all one word, and it is - it's the only eight available.


Round 5: 25, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10. Target: 450.

C1: 450. (10+8)*25 (10)
C2: 450. (10+8)*25 (10)
Score: 39–17 (max 41)

Easy numbers game means Phil gets in to double figures and Paul still leads by 22 at the anecdote.


Teatime teaser: SOLIDBAT -> TABLOIDS


Round 6: V A C R I X L E G

C1: GLACIER (7)
C2: GRAVEL (6)
DC: CLAVIER (7)
OT: GRACILE (7)
Score: 46–17 (max 48)

If the X were an E you could have VICEREGAL. Yes, I know you don't care, I just wanted to show off. Phil decides he's going to stick with a safe six and is beaten by Paul's GLACIER, which he wasn't sure of but it's fine. We don't know what longer word Phil was thinking of. I've noticed that we don't get to hear contestants' unrisked words any more. I don't know if that's because Nick doesn't ask the contestants, or he does but it gets cut out to fit the episode into the 16+10+10 minute format (plus or minus ten seconds) on which Channel Four insist with all the easy-going flexibility of an Olympic Delivery Authority brand enforcement officer.


Round 7: P S R S O E O U P

C1: PURPOSES (8)
C2: PURPOSES (8)
DC: OPPOSERS (8)
OT: PROPOSES (8)
Score: 54–25 (max 56)

Eights for P and P, using both the P and the P.

That reminds me, Ryan's going to be on Blockbusters at some point.


Round 8: T I N Y E P L A N

C1: PENALTY (7)
C2: pantily
DC: PANTILE (7)
OT: PINNATELY (18)
Score: 61–25 (max 74)

Phil thinks PANTILY^ is worth a go, referring to shortness of breath, but it's not in. PANTILE would have been fine, and the PENALTY for that slip is that Paul moves further in front.

TINY E PLAN would be a good a conundrum scramble. TINYPLANE would be better, though. In any case the answer would be PINNATELY, which is the adverb from PINNATE, a botanical adjective referring to a compound leaf "having leaflets arranged on either side of the stem, typically in pairs opposite each other".


Round 9: R V H K I O E S I

C1: HOVERS (6)
C2: SHIVER (6)
DC: IVORIES (7)
Score: 67–31 (max 81)

Paul and Phil find sixes, and Susie and Dave find the darrenic seven, IVORIES.

Origins of Words: this one was about the word FLIRT, one of whose original meanings was to propel something with the forefinger and the thumb - the same as FLICK.


Round 10: 25, 9, 3, 4, 7, 5. Target: 123.

C1: 123. 5*25-(9-7) (10)
C2: 123. 5*25-(9-7) (10)
Score: 77–41 (max 91)

You could say this numbers game was as easy as one, two, thr- NOTE - this joke has been curtailed by order of the Olympic Delivery Authority. Jokes of this poor standard may only be provided by the Official Supplier of Terrible Jokes to the London 2012 Games, G4S.


Teatime teaser: PUNMIGHT -> THUMPING

Round 11: T H R S O I A E R

C1: HOARSER (7)
C2: ROASTER (7)
DC: SHORTER (7) HOARIEST (8)
OT: HERITORS (8) ROTARIES (8) TRASHIER (8)
Score: 84–48 (max 99)

Seven each for our contestants, and Susie finds HOARIEST. "As in a hoary old story?" asks Nick. Susie confirms that the many definitions of HOARY include "greyish white", "old and having grey or white hair" and "overused and unoriginal". Nick wonders how many of those refer to him.


Round 12: N T O C N I M G U

C1: MOUNTING (8)
C2: MOUNTING (8)
DC: TONING (6) COUNTING (8)
Score: 92–56 (max 107)

A couple of easy -ING words here. Nick notes that Paul is on 92, and could easily get yet another century.


Round 13: N S T Q I E A E R

C1: TRAINEES (8)
C2: STAINER (7)
DC: stanier
OT: RESINATE (8)
Score: 100–56 (max 115)

And there it is. Paul's fourth century and still two rounds left. Dave Spikey thought about STANIER^, but that's a type of locomotive which is capitalised.


Round 14: 75, 4, 7, 10, 10, 3. Target: 160.

C1: 160. ((10-4)/3)*75+10 (10)
C2: 160. (7-(4-3)+10)*10 (10)
Score: 110–66 (max 125)

This was probably the hardest numbers round of the game - CECIL has been kind today. Now, if Paul gets the conundrum he'll have 120 points. I don't know what the highest ever score with no nine-letter words is, but 120 must be pretty close considering the theoretical maximum is 128. James would know.


Round 15: S P E N D A R A P

No one buzzes. The answer was SANDPAPER.
Final Score: 110–66 (max 135)

But in any case neither he nor Phil can solve it, so Rachel gives us the answer. This score of 110 puts Phil on 7 wins and 701 points. Tomorrow he'll be playing for octochampdom, and if he scores 99 or more while doing it he'll be in the 800 club too.

In two weeks' time there's racing at Goodwood for most of the week, so the only Countdown episode of Cobliv week will be a special on the Monday. Normally I'd recap it, but it's between me and Edward McCullagh, and I'm buggered if I'm commentating on myself. That dubious honour goes to Mark Deeks.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=66