Monday 10th December 2012 (Series 67, Prelim 89)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 10 December 2012.

C1: Champion Rachael Moran (1 win, 82 points), is a writer from Liverpool, who I'm pleased to say has joined the apterous community since filming. She calls herself an "aspiring" writer because she hasn't been published, but Nick points out that doesn't make her any less a writer.
C2: Challenger Leigh Workman from Middlesbrough is is a senior case officer for a large credit card company. He insists he's the customer's advocate, not the corporation's. Watching at home is his wife Victoria, and sleeping at home is baby son Thomas, who according to Leigh has a vampire's sleeping pattern.
DC: Susie Dent and Dave Spikey.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: L A N E G I Z M P
R02: T S G E A I D L W
R03: S D R O U I T C E
R04: M R V A U E C N T
R05: 75, 3, 1, 2, 7, 10. Target: 256.
TTT: THEYSAVE - "The TV weighs a lot, but he's got the build to carry it."
R06: S A R E S O N C N
R07: H A S E T U Y M T
R08: R D N O I E D S T
R09: B P N I E O D T I
R10: 25, 75, 3, 8, 10, 6. Target: 144.
TTT: MANTAMER - "It doesn't tame men, it destroys them."
R11: L U N O H E L X S
R12: D K I A G D E N I
R13: G U R W T A E B M
R14: 50, 75, 9, 6, 8, 1. Target: 211.
R15: F E N C I N G I T (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: L A N E G I Z M P

C1: LEAPING (7)
C2: LAZING (6)
DC: LAMPING (7) MANIPLE (7)
OT: GEMINAL (7) IMPANEL (7) PALMING (7) PEALING (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)

No use LAZING about like baby Thomas, Leigh. You need to be LEAPING into the lead. Dave finds LAMPING, and Susie finds MANIPLE. No sniggering at the back, you lot - it's a subdivision of a Roman legion.


Round 2: T S G E A I D L W

C1: GLADES (6)
C2: DILATES (7)
DC: WIDGETS (7)
OT: AGISTED (7) DETAILS (7) LIGATED (7) LIGATES (7) SILAGED (7) WAISTED (7) WILDEST (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 14)

Leigh equalises with one of the many sevens available. A WIDGET, as well as being a generic term for any small gadget or device, is also the little pressurised plastic thing inside a beer can that foams it up when you open it.


Round 3: S D R O U I T C E

C1: OUTCRIES (8)
C2: DIRECTS (7)
DC: SCOUTED (7) CRUDITES (8)
OT: CURTSIED (8) OUTRIDES (8) OUTSIDER (8)
Score: 15–7 (max 22)

Rachael spots OUTCRIES to go back into the lead. Note that it's the plural of the noun OUTCRY - there's no verb. So you can't have OUTCRIED or OUTCRYING. However, one of those non-words has a valid anagram. Which one, and what is it? Answer at the end.


Round 4: M R V A U E C N T

C1: TAVERN (6)
C2: curvate
DC: CENTAUR (7)
OT: CENTRUM (7) UNCRATE (7) VAUNTER (7)
Score: 21–7 (max 29)

There's no CURVATE^ in the dictionary, but there is INCURVATE. The CENTRUM is the solid central part of a vertebra. UNCRATE means to remove something from a crate. If we're putting that in the dictionary then we should also have unhouse (to go outside), unpark (to drive out of a parking space), and unboard (to capture a chess piece). Still, it's not as bad as UNTHAW, which is in the dictionary and means... to thaw. Yes, it's an Americanism.


Round 5: 75, 3, 1, 2, 7, 10. Target: 256.

C1: 256. (75+10)*3+1 (10)
C2: 256. (75+7)*3+10 (10)
Score: 31–17 (max 39)

One of those irritating numbers rounds where knowing 256 is a power of two doesn't help you in the slightest.


Teatime teaser: THEYSAVE -> HEAVYSET

Round 6: S A R E S O N C N

C1: CENSORS (7)
C2: SCANNERS (8)
DC: REASONS (7)
Nick: SARSEN (6)
OT: CANONESS (8) COARSENS (8)
Score: 31–25 (max 47)

Leigh spots an eight to close the gap. Nick at first spots SARSON^, but it turns out he's thinking of SARSEN, which is a type of stone that was used to make Stonehenge.


Round 7: H A S E T U Y M T

C1: AMUSE (5)
C2: MUTATES (7)
DC: ASTUTE (6) STEAMY (6)
OT: AMETHYST (8)
Score: 31–32 (max 55)

Leigh goes in front for the first time in the game. Untouched by all is the purple gemstone AMETHYST.


Round 8: R D N O I E D S T

C1: noddiest
C2: STONIER (7)
DC: INDORSE (7) RODENTS (7) NOISED (6)
OT: TRENDOIDS (18)
Score: 31–39 (max 73)

Rachael's plausible offering isn't in the dictionary. There was a nine: TRENDOIDS, who are people who follow fashion blindly or excessively.


Round 9: B P N I E O D T I

C1: POINTED (7)
C2: POINTED (7)
DC: EDITION (7)
Nick: OPINED (6)
Score: 38–46 (max 80)

Both contestants find the max, and it's still a close game.


Round 10: 25, 75, 3, 8, 10, 6. Target: 144.

C1: 144. 25*3+75-6 (10)
C2: 144. (10-8)*75-6 (10)
Score: 48–56 (max 90)

One of those irritating numbers rounds where knowing 144 is a square number doesn't help you in the slightest.


Teatime teaser: MANTAMER -> ARMAMENT

Round 11: L U N O H E L X S

C1: HELLOS (6)
C2: HELLO (5)
DC: SHELL (5) SULLEN (6)
OT: HULLOES (7)
Score: 54–56 (max 97)

Leigh finds HELLO, and Rachael's right that you can put an S on the end. You can also spell it an old-fashioned way for seven.


Round 12: D K I A G D E N I

C1: KIDDING (7)
C2: KIDDING (7)
Score: 61–63 (max 104)

No kidding here. Still two points in it.


Round 13: G U R W T A E B M

C1: TAMER (5)
C2: MATURE (6)
DC: UMBRAGE (7)
Score: 61–69 (max 111)

Leigh starts a late breakaway with MATURE.


Round 14: 50, 75, 9, 6, 8, 1. Target: 211.

C1: 210. (75-50)*8+9+1 (7)
C2: 208.
RR: 211. (50-1)*6-(75+8) (10)
Score: 68–69 (max 121)

And now Rachael gets within one of the target, and within one of Leigh's score. It's been a back and forth game all the way, so it's fitting that we have a crucial conundrum...


Round 15: F E N C I N G I T

C1 buzzes on 3 seconds to say INFECTING which is correct.
Final Score: 78–69 (max 131)

And Rachael seals victory to ensure she'll be back tomorrow for what will be the last preliminary of the series. The first two quarter-finals are on Wednesday and Thursday this year because on Friday Countdown has been pushed aside to make way for some horses running in circles. If the weather's too bad for equine circumnavigation, then perhaps, if we're lucky, Channel 4 will grudgingly put in its place the special between Matt Croy and Craig Lingard recorded last month. Or maybe they'll decide that repeats of Noel Edmonds chairing a meeting of numbered boxes are more important, like they did with the summer specials in 2011.

Ryan and Michelle have recorded a special too - goodness knows when or if we're going to get to see that. Anyway, I've seen the photographs and this game is worth watching just for Ryan's jumper.

I've got probably the same jumper. Oh no wait, actually it's a completely different jumper. Talking of the legend that is Dave Taylor, he's on today's Only Connect third place play-off. Get to it.

I'll be back to recap next Monday's quarter-final between Heather Styles and Tia Corkish.


And yes, Jack's got it: OUTCRYING = CONGRUITY.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67

[Johnny Canuck]

Isn't it Prelim 89? Also, what's the answer to the OUTCRIED/OUTCRYING thing?

[Jack Worsley]

OUTCRYING = CONGRUITY

[Graeme Cole]

Isn't it Prelim 89? Also, what's the answer to the OUTCRIED/OUTCRYING thing?

Yes, it is. All I did was look at the prelim number in the top post in the recaps section and add one to it, little realising that the most recently posted-in thread wasn't the most recent recap.

And by the time I got to the end of the recap I'd forgotten all about the OUTCRYING thing. But Jack's got it now.

[Nick Deller]

Countdown recap for Monday 10 December 2012.
Round 5: 75, 3, 1, 2, 7, 10. Target: 256.

One of those irritating numbers rounds where knowing 256 is a power of two doesn't help you in the slightest.

((10*3)+2) * (7+1). Boom!

(75-10-1) * (7-3). Double boom!

[Peter Mabey]

Round 10: 25, 75, 3, 8, 10, 6. Target: 144.

C1: 144. 25*3+75-6 (10)
C2: 144. (10-8)*75-6 (10)
Score: 48–56 (max 90)

One of those irritating numbers rounds where knowing 144 is a square number doesn't help you in the slightest.

Although it might remind you that 3x8x6 = 144