Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 25 October 2012.
C1: Challenger Leke Kupoluyi. A building surveyor from Manchester. He wants to be one of the most innovative architects of the next generation, and he even once bumped into the celebrated architect, Sir Norman Foster.
C2: Challenger Dave Boyle. An english student at Swansea University. He's no relation to our recent octochamp, Rose, or to SuBo, although his mum is called Susan, hence his nickname at university is "SuBo".
Last year, he was the secretary of the university's football team, and some members of that team are in the front row of the audience.DC: Susie Dent and Jon Culshaw.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: F E A R O S L R A
R02: E I N S M E A T S
R03: G S P M U I E I D
R04: T P L A O R E C F
R05: 75, 25, 6, 10, 3, 4. Target: 173.
TTT: GOTTHESE - "They've got these everywhere in America"
R06: Z C H L I A E T O
R07: B D R L I E A R I
R08: W P C S E O I T D
R09: H T F V U A E U G
R10: 50, 9, 9, 7, 3, 8. Target: 454.
TTT: PIGMOUNT - "A bit of spirit and initiative in the forest, maybe?"
R11: N B O I E Y D O E
R12: N T R X I O E T N
R13: D L Q A I E A J H
R14: 100, 7, 5, 6, 2, 1. Target: 744.
R15: C R O P R O S E S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: F E A R O S L R A
C1: FEARS (5)
C2: LOAFERS (7)
DC: SOLAR (5)
OT: AREOLAR (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)
A good start by Dave, although I'm sure Leke will ease his FEARS as we get into the game.
Round 2: E I N S M E A T S
C1: MEANEST (7)
C2: STEAMS (6)
DC: INMATES (7) MEATINESS (18) AMNESTIES (18)
Score: 7–7 (max 25)
So reminds me of round 7 of a certain series final back in 2011.
But, it's DC who get both the available 9's, as Leke immediately levels things up. Round 3: G S P M U I E I D
C1: gumped
C2: SPED (4)
DC: MISGUIDE (8)
Score: 7–11 (max 33)
Oh dear, not a brilliant round by the contestants here. Leke's 6 isn't anywhere to be seen, but Dave can only capitalise with a 4, leaving DC as the twice as good people with the darrenic 8.
Round 4: T P L A O R E C F
C1: FLOATER (7)
C2: FLOATER (7)
DC: PECTORAL (8)
OT: TERAFLOP (8)
Score: 14–18 (max 41)
A pair of FLOATERs.
At least it wasn't a pair of TERAFLOPs. A TERAFLOP is a measure of processing speed, consisting of a thousand billion floating-point operations a second.
Round 5: 75, 25, 6, 10, 3, 4. Target: 173.
C1: 175. ((6 / 3) x 75) + 25 (7)
C2: -
RR: 173. (4 x 25) + 75 - (6 / 3) (10)
Score: 21–18 (max 51)
A small target and it seemed that there were plenty of ways to do it, but Dave draws a total blank, while Leke can get to 2 away to retake the lead.
Jon talks about his recent work on the Radio 4 programme, The Secret World, where he does a very good impression of Alan Bennett.
Teatime teaser: GOTTHESE -> GHETTOES
Round 6: Z C H L I A E T O
C1: CHALET (6)
C2: LOATHE (6)
DC: ETHICAL (7)
OT: THIAZOLE (8)
Score: 27–24 (max 59)
A very impressive darrenic 8 is missed by all, but it's 6 apiece for the contestants, while DC get a very good 7.
THIAZOLE is a colourless, slightly water-miscible liquid, C3H3NS, having a disagreeable odour.
Round 7: B D R L I E A R I
C1: braider
C2: BRIDAL (6)
DC: RAILBIRD (8)
Score: 27–30 (max 67)
Shockingly, you can't be a braider.....
So, Dave gets back in with BRIDAL (that's what Rachel put on the board, although I immediately thought of BRIDLE.), while DC exceed themselves with a super cool 8. Round 8: W P C S E O I T D
C1: COPIED (6)
C2: POISED (6)
DC: DESPOTIC (8)
Score: 33–36 (max 75)
DC go get the darrenic 8 yet again.
Round 9: H T F V U A E U G
C1: GATE (4)
C2: VAGUE (5)
DC: AUGHT (5)
OT: FAUGH (5) FUGUE (5)
Score: 33–41 (max 80)
Memories of yesterday's horrible letters return as 5 is the tops, but Dave gets one of them, so his lead goes back up to 8, the highest there's been all match so far.
FAUGH is an interjection used to express contempt or disgust.
A FUGUE is a polyphonic composition based upon one, two, or more themes, which are enunciated by several voices or parts in turn, subjected to contrapuntal treatment, and gradually built up into a complex form having somewhat distinct divisions or stages of development and a marked climax at the end.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of "cataracts".
Round 10: 50, 9, 9, 7, 3, 8. Target: 454.
C1: 454. (9 x 50) + (8 / (9 - 7)) (10)
C2: 454. (9 x 50) + 7 - 3 (10)
Score: 43–51 (max 90)
Nice and easy numbers, even if Leke tried to make it harder for himself.
Teatime teaser: PIGMOUNT -> GUMPTION
Round 11: N B O I E Y D O E
C1: booned
C2: DOOBIE (6)
DC: BOON (4) OBEYED (6)
OT: BEYOND (6) BOODIE (6) DEBONE (6) NOBODY (6)
Score: 43–57 (max 96)
Six 6's here, and after last week's appearance of the plural, the singular DOOBIE makes an appearance to the "disgust" of Jon.
A BOODIE is a burrowing rat kangaroo, Bettongia lesueur, found on islands off Western Australia.
Round 12: N T R X I O E T N
C1: EXTORT (6)
C2: INTENT (6)
DC: TRITONE (7)
OT: TONTINE (7)
Score: 49–63 (max 103)
A pair of sixes, and a pair of sevens too.
TONTINE is an annuity scheme in which subscribers share a common fund with the benefit of survivorship, the survivors' shares being increased as the subscribers die, until the whole goes to the last survivor.
Round 13: D L Q A I E A J H
C1: JAILED (6)
C2: JAILED (6)
DC: HAILED (6) DAHLIA (6)
OT: ALHAJI (6) HALIDE (6) JEHADI (6)
Score: 55–69 (max 109)
Another lot of six 6's here. Are we in for a crucial, maybe
A HALIDE is a chemical compound in which one of the elements is a halogen.
Round 14: 100, 7, 5, 6, 2, 1. Target: 744.
C1: 743.
C2: 744. ((100 + 6) x 7) + 2 (10)
Score: 55–79 (max 119)
OK, maybe not. Instead, Dave further extends his lead to give him the game, as Leke can only get one away.
Round 15: C R O P R O S E S
C2 buzzes on 4 seconds to say PROCESSES which is incorrect.
C1 buzzes on 13.5 seconds to say CROSSROPE which is incorrect.
The answer was PROCESSOR.
Final Score: 55–79 (max 129)
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Dave immediately realises his mistake, but Leke makes a major whoopsie by giving a pretty silly answer, when the correct answer was almost given to him on a plate.
So, it's left to one of Dave's footballing mates to spare his blushes (of sorts ).Compared to our last 2 winners, we were sort of brought back down to Earth today, but maybe we were asking a bit too much following on from 2 octochamps. Join Thomas tomorrow to see if there are any signs of possible octochampdomness.
I'll be back on Wednesday for my next double installment.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Leke:
Total score - 55
Raw score - 71
Total % of max - 43
Raw % of max - 55
Total average score per round - 3.7
Raw average score per round - 4.7
Number of maxes - 2
Dave:
Total score - 79
Raw score - 85
Total % of max - 61
Raw % of max - 66
Total average score per round - 5.3
Raw average score per round - 5.7
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67