Monday 20th May 2013 (Series 68, Prelim 43)

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Graeme Cole
Series 65 Champion
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Monday 20th May 2013 (Series 68, Prelim 43)

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Countdown recap for Monday 20 May 2013.

C1: Champion Joe McGonigle (2 wins, 174 points) is a croupier from Stockport who doesn't seem to get much of an introduction, so I'll just make up stories about him. Interestingly, Joe's cat invented lederhosen.
C2: Challenger Mark Goldsmith from Weston-Super-Mare is a senior ramp agent at Bristol Airport. A ramp agent isn't someone who goes on rampages, it's an airport baggage handler.
DC: Susie Dent and Janet Street-Porter.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: D E N I T O R A Z
R02: G M I K E O S W N
R03: 100, 75, 4, 9, 10, 4. Target: 280.
TTT: OUSTEVEN - "This will help oust even the most troublesome of babies."
R04: G T R I A E L R H
R05: S X T J O U E S O
R06: 100, 8, 7, 4, 6, 10. Target: 394.
R07: D A P E Q A R O D
R08: L I R F P M E U A
R09: 75, 25, 4, 7, 8, 8. Target: 670.
TTT: NEEDDIAL - "The phone's been cut off, and you're up against the clock."
R10: S E I D V G O N R
R11: N E M U B O L E N
R12: T S U A R L B I A
R13: S O R E N A Y E R
R14: 75, 4, 8, 10, 9, 6. Target: 468.
R15: S I F D I C E N T (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
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SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Enjoy the show.


Round 1: D E N I T O R A Z

C1: RATIONED (8)
C2: RATIONED (8)
DC: ORDINATE (8) NOTARIZED (18)
Score: 8–8 (max 18)

Both our contestants open with RATIONED for eight, but seasoned Countdowners will spot the NOTARIZED option for nine.


Round 2: G M I K E O S W N

C1: SMOKING (7)
C2: SMOKING (7)
DC: GNOMES (6) MEWING (6)
OT: MEOWING (7) MOWINGS (7) SKEWING (7) WIGEONS (7) WINSOME (7)
Score: 15–15 (max 25)

Among the many sevens in this round is MOWINGS. At first I thought this might be one of those things like "I've given the lawn another mowing, so it's had two mowings". Turns out that the bits of grass that come off the lawn are known as the MOWINGS.

Janet finds GNOMES, which references Nick's introduction about the Chelsea Flower Show, which has a bizarre long-standing ban on gnomes. This ban has been temporarily lifted this year, but you have to wonder if the continued popularity of the small behatted figurines owes anything to the Royal Horticultural Society's well-publicised irrational hatred of the things.


Round 3: 100, 75, 4, 9, 10, 4. Target: 280.

C1: 280. (75-((10-9)+4))*4 (10)
C2: 283.
Score: 25–15 (max 35)

Joe is the first to go ahead.

Now, this is interesting. Did you spot the subtle change to the numbers board?

Here's what it looked like up to last Monday...
Image

And here's what it looks like today.
Image

I hear they've been repainting bits of the set recently because of the move to HD - imperfections show up much more easily now. They'll be doing the conundrum board next.

Incidentally, it seems this sudden attack of blueness actually happened last Tuesday, but I wasn't paying attention.


Teatime teaser: OUSTEVEN -> VENTOUSE


Round 4: G T R I A E L R H

C1: TRAILER (7)
C2: LIGHTER (7)
DC: LITHARGE (8)
Score: 32–22 (max 43)

Sevens for Joe and Mark, but Susie puts the pencam on LITHARGE, which is lead monoxide.


Round 5: S X T J O U E S O

C1: JOUSTS (6)
C2: JOUSTS (6)
DC: SOUSE (5)
Score: 38–28 (max 49)

The joust continues with Joe still ten ahead.


Round 6: 100, 8, 7, 4, 6, 10. Target: 394.

C1: 394. 4*100-6 (10)
C2: 394. 4*100-6 (10)
Score: 48–38 (max 59)

Yawn. Next please.


Round 7: D A P E Q A R O D

C1: PARADED (7)
C2: PADRE (5)
DC: PEA POD DRAPED (6)
Score: 55–38 (max 66)

With that seven, Joe has PARADED even further in front.


Round 8: L I R F P M E U A

C1: filmer
C2: FLAMIER (7)
DC: LUMPIER (7)
OT: PLUMERIA (8)
Score: 55–45 (max 74)

Neither player is sure of his word in this round, but FLAMIER is fine, and it brings Mark back to within ten.


Round 9: 75, 25, 4, 7, 8, 8. Target: 670.

C1: 660.
C2: 671. ((8-7)+8)*75-4 (7)
RR: 670. (75-8)*(25-8-7) (10)
Score: 55–52 (max 84)

All of a sudden, the game gets a lot closer thanks to Mark's 671.


Teatime teaser: NEEDDIAL -> DEADLINE


Round 10: S E I D V G O N R

C1: IGNORED (7)
C2: drovings
DC: RINGDOVES (18)
Score: 62–52 (max 102)

DROVING would be fine, but the extra letter doesn't pay off. Susie finds RINGDOVES, which are doves or pigeons with a ring-like mark on the neck.


Round 11: N E M U B O L E N

C1: NOBLE (5)
C2: BONE (4)
DC: NOBLEMEN (8) LEMON (5) MELON (5)
Score: 67–52 (max 110)

Susie notices after Joe offers NOBLE that NOBLEMEN was there for eight, but Joe's five still beats Mark's BONE.


Round 12: T S U A R L B I A

C1: tibulas
C2: BLAST (5)
DC: BLURTS (6) RITUALS (7) TRIBALS (7)
OT: ARBLAST (7) AUSTRAL (7) BARISTA (7) BARTSIA (7) BASILAR (7) BURIALS (7) LARIATS (7) RAILBUS (7) TABULAR (7)
Score: 67–57 (max 117)

Now it's Joe's turn to offer a dodgy word. The bones between the knee and the ankle are the TIBIA and FIBULA. FIBIA^ and TIBULA^ are commonly offered on apterous for this reason.


Round 13: S O R E N A Y E R

C1: REASON (6)
C2: SORRY (5)
DC: SNORER (6) YEARNERS (8)
OT: REASONER (8)
Score: 73–57 (max 125)

Again Joe could have added -ER to make REASONER, but he's still won the round.


Round 14: 75, 4, 8, 10, 9, 6. Target: 468.

C1: 468. 6*75+10+8 (10)
C2: 468. 6*75+10+8 (10)
Score: 83–67 (max 135)

A simple numbers game, and it gives Joe his third win.


Round 15: S I F D I C E N T

Mark buzzes on 3 seconds to say DEFICIENT which is incorrect.
Joe buzzes on 3 and bit seconds to say DISINFECT which is correct.
Final Score: 93–67 (max 145)

SIFDICENT? Is that scramble supposed to say something? Or have I missed it entirely? Fifty cent, perhaps? Answers welcome.

Mark put up a good fight, but in the end Joe ended up the convincing winner. We're back to a full five days of Countdown this week, and, even better, away from the graveyard 2.45 slot back to the slightly more desirable 3.10. This will almost certainly result in a rise in viewing figures, which is good news for us, but bad news for the Daily Mail, as it means they're going to have to write a new Countdown article rather than copy-pasting the one they've been reusing every year or so. See you next Monday for what could be, if Joe continues on this form, his eighth game.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=68
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