Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 1 November 2012.
C1: Champion Lucy Grainge (2 wins, 171 points.) From Darlington, County Durham. A full-time carer for her mother. She owns 2 miniature dachshunds too.
C2: Challenger Philip Jackson. A retired teacher from Ascot, Berkshire. He used to teach English as a foreign language in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Abu Dhabi. He completed a round-the-world trip in 1982 including going to Australia, New Zealand and driving from Los Angeles to Miami.
DC: Susie Dent and Jo Brand.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G R N E I U C N I
R02: S D M W Z O E I J
R03: N P F N U A O R U
R04: T S P L T E A E I
R05: 7, 3, 5, 6, 2, 3. Target: 446.
TTT: ARCLAIRD - "This helps you get a bit off when you get on"
R06: K D P L S O A I E
R07: M T B T U A E H T
R08: D T F R D I O E Q
R09: S R P T I U O W A
R10: 75, 7, 9, 10, 2, 6. Target: 900.
TTT: SCAREHER - "Look again before doing the background work"
R11: H D R S E A I M R
R12: S V C H R E O A O
R13: S N S R A I E L G
R14: 100, 5, 9, 4, 6, 8. Target: 883.
R15: R A M M I N G I T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: G R N E I U C N I
C1: CURING (6)
C2: CURING (6)
DC: GURN (4) CRINGE (6)
OT: ENURING (7) INURING (7) REINING (7) RUINING (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)
Hmmm, the -INGs are left alone here, as both contestants get off the mark with those CURING sixes.
To ENURE or INURE is to accustom to hardship, difficulty, pain, etc.
Round 2: S D M W Z O E I J
C1: MODES (5)
C2: DIMES (5)
DC: wizmode WISDOM (6) ZOWIE (5)
OT: EJIDOS (6)
Score: 11–11 (max 13)
Some good WISDOM from DC as Philip is scraping some DIMES together.
An EJIDO is a Mexican farm communally owned and operated by the inhabitants of a village on an individual or cooperative basis.
Round 3: N P F N U A O R U
C1: POUR (4)
C2: APRON (5)
DC: punrun
OT: FURAN (5)
Score: 11–16 (max 18)
Crikey!!!! A nasty round, but a pivotal one at the moment, as Philip gets the first lead of the match thanks to his APRON.
FURAN is a colourless, liquid, unsaturated, five-membered heterocyclic compound, C4H4O, obtained from furfural.
Round 4: T S P L T E A E I
C1: EPISTLE (7)
C2: PATTIES (7)
DC: SPLAT (5) EPILATES (8)
OT: PALETTES (8) PEATIEST (8)
Score: 18–23 (max 26)
A couple of good 7's from our contestants, but DC get the first 8 of the game today.
Round 5: 7, 3, 5, 6, 2, 3. Target: 446.
C1: 447. (((6 x 7) + 3) x 2 x 5) - 3 (7)
C2: 445. ((5 + 3) x (6 + 2) x 7) - 3 (7)
Score: 25–30 (max 33)
I must say that I thought the numbers looked doable to me, but clearly not.
Jo's irritating word of the day is "passionate".
Teatime teaser: ARCLAIRD -> RAILCARD
Round 6: K D P L S O A I E
C1: SPIKED (6)
C2: PALSIED (7)
DC: POLKAED (7)
OT: ELASIPOD (8) OLDSPEAK (8)
Score: 25–37 (max 41)
Philip extends his lead further thanks to his nice 7, but there are two 8's waiting in the wings.
Round 7: M T B T U A E H T
C1: THUMB (5)
C2: THUMB (5)
DC: MATTE (5) MUTATE (6) bumhat
OT: BATTUE (6)
Score: 30–42 (max 47)
THUMBs up for the contestants, while DC MUTATE up to 6.
In hunting, BATTUE is the beating or driving of game from cover toward a stationary hunter.
Round 8: D T F R D I O E Q
C1: DRIFTED (7)
C2: DRIFTED (7)
DC: DOT (3) TRIODE (6) FODDER (6) FOETID (6)
OT: FOREDID (7)
Score: 37–49 (max 54)
No DRIFTing here from the contestants, this looks like it's going to be a high-level performance game.
Round 9: S R P T I U O W A
C1: SPROUT (6)
C2: PATIOS (6)
DC: UPSTAIR (7) SAUTOIR (7) spotwar sowpit
Score: 43–55 (max 61)
DC might have both the available 7's, but the chase is still being kept up. Maybe the numbers will be another turning point..............
Susie's Origins of Words carries on with the Halloween theme with the ghoulish words, "zombie", "monster", "wizard", "poltergeist" and "manticore".
Round 10: 75, 7, 9, 10, 2, 6. Target: 900.
C1: 900. 6 x 2 x 75 (10)
C2: 900. (10 + 2) x 75 (10)
Score: 53–65 (max 71)
Just when you want a turning point, a super easy one appears.
Teatime teaser: SCAREHER -> RESEARCH
Round 11: H D R S E A I M R
C1: MARRIED (7)
C2: MISREAD (7)
DC: MISHEARD (8) MARRIEDS (8) ADMIRERS (8) headrim
OT: DISARMER (8) MARSHIER (8)
Score: 60–72 (max 79)
Ooooooooooooooooh, a bit of tweaking by both players could've got 8's, but it's still hard to call this one.
Also of note is the fact that if Jo's fake word was just slightly altered, she'd have had a brilliant 7 in HEDARIM.
Round 12: S V C H R E O A O
C1: HOOVERS (7)
C2: ROACHES (7)
DC: horsevac
OT: CHOOSER (7) OCHREAS (7) ORACHES (7)
Score: 67–79 (max 86)
7's all around in this one. Only 2 rounds of difference still. Lucy's starting to run out of chances now...............
An ORACH is any plant of the genus Atriplex, especially Atriplex hortensis, of the goosefoot family, cultivated for use like spinach.
Round 13: S N S R A I E L G
C1: SINGLES (7)
C2: AIRLESS (7)
DC: ANGLERS (7) REALIGNS (8) granless
OT: GRAINLESS (18) RESIGNALS (18)
Score: 74–86 (max 104)
DOUBLE NINE ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!! And again, Jo nearly gets a 9 by accident.............
Round 14: 100, 5, 9, 4, 6, 8. Target: 883.
C1: 883. ((100 + 9) x 8) + 6 + 5 (10)
C2: 883. (9 x 100) - (5 + 4 + 8) (10)
Score: 84–96 (max 114)
After a "brief discussion" with Rachel on what to go for, Philip goes for the bog standard 1 large and seals his win.
Round 15: R A M M I N G I T
No one buzzes. The answer was IMMIGRANT.
Final Score: 84–96 (max 124)
That's 3 out of 4 conundrums this week that have not been solved, but I'm sure Philip won't care, as he is now the new champion.
A very high-scoring game decided by those 2 rounds gave Philip the win, and his high level of play meant that Lucy couldn't get back in.
Philip will be back tomorrow to launch his assault for a place in the finals, which are only 6 weeks away now.
I'll be back on Wednesday for the next duo of Robinson Recaps, after what I'm sure will be an enjoyable COEDI on Saturday.
Till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Lucy:
Total score - 84
Raw score - 94
Total % of max - 68
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 5.6
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 5
Philip:
Total score - 96
Raw score - 96
Total % of max - 77
Raw % of max - 77
Total average score per round - 6.4
Raw average score per round - 6.4
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67