Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 17 October 2013.
C1: Champion Mark Hartnett (2 wins, 212 points.) An Apteforumite from Dublin. He's a big fan of St. Patrick's Athletic, who as it happens won the League of Ireland last weekend.
C2: Challenger Dan McDonnell. An oil and gas consultant from Aberdeen. He's a supporter of his local team,.......... Manchester United.
His favourite film is The Dark Knight, with Christian Bale as the eponymous hero.DC: Susie Dent and Arlene Phillips.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: R G L U E O S A R
R02: W I C T E S P O I
R03: 25, 9, 7, 10, 10, 7. Target: 388.
TTT: GANGWIRE - "I think you'll get this, in fact, I'll put money on it"
R04: R A S K O D I E H
R05: T P S M I U E V I
R06: 50, 25, 7, 4, 8, 4. Target: 651.
R07: N S X O U O A H E
R08: P O E R J I E M C
R09: 100, 4, 1, 8, 9, 7. Target: 397.
TTT: LITSPASM - "You give them a hand in return for information"
R10: L O N E D R I T N
R11: G Y R E O A F I L
R12: F N E D Q A E U T
R13: D N T O I E B A R
R14: 100, 25, 7, 8, 2, 5. Target: 309.
R15: A C E T I M I N G (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: R G L U E O S A R
C1: REGULARS (8)
C2: REGULARS (8)
DC: ROGUES (6)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
A couple of REGULARS to start off today. Nice to settle in early doors.
Round 2: W I C T E S P O I
C1: POETICS (7)
C2: potices
DC: COPIES (6)
Score: 15–8 (max 15)
Another darren for Mark, as Dan slips up on his potices, or was it pot ices
Round 3: 25, 9, 7, 10, 10, 7. Target: 388.
C1: 389. ((25 + 7 + 7) x 10) - (10 - 9) (7)
C2: -
RR: 388. ((7 + 10 + 25) x 9) + 10 (10)
Score: 22–8 (max 25)
A tricky little numbers game has Dan out for the count, while Mark doubles his advantage with his 1 away.
Teatime teaser: GANGWIRE -> WAGERING
Round 4: R A S K O D I E H
C1: ROADIES (7)
C2: SHARKED (7)
DC: SHAKIER (7)
OT: DARKIES (7) DARKISH (7) DREKISH (7) HAIRDOS (7) KAROSHI (7) RADIOES (7) SHADIER (7) SHIRKED (7)
Score: 29–15 (max 32)
Loadsa loadsa 7's, although the round takes an interesting turn when SHARKED is revealed to be to do with looking for a sexual partner.
In Japan, KAROSHI is death caused by overwork.
Round 5: T P S M I U E V I
C1: IMPUTES (7)
C2: uptimes
DC: UPTIME (6) TIPS (4)
OT: IMPETUS (7) PIETISM (7) UVEITIS (7)
Score: 36–15 (max 39)
Mark goes further clear after a long debate about whether UPTIME can be pluralised, but it's a thumbs down on that one, unfortunately for Dan.
PIETISM is excessive, exaggerated, or affected piety or saintliness.
UVEITIS is inflammation of the uvea, the vascular tunic of the eye, comprising the iris, choroid coat, and ciliary body.
Round 6: 50, 25, 7, 4, 8, 4. Target: 651.
C1: 652. ((25 + 50 + 7) x 8) - 4 (7)
C2: 650. (7 + 4 + (8 / 4)) x 50 (7)
OT: 651. ((50 x 4) + 25 - 8) x (7 - 4) (10)
Score: 43–22 (max 49)
Another tricky numbers game here, which even Rachel can't solve, but it's 7 points apiece for our contestants with 1 away either side.
Arlene talks about a friend's wedding that she attended as a witness and couldn't stop laughing because of the registrar's unusual tone of voice.
Round 7: N S X O U O A H E
C1: HOUSE (5)
C2: HOAXES (6)
DC: SOON (4)
Score: 43–28 (max 55)
Dan gets himself back into the game with his darrenic 6. Is there a comeback on a cards
Round 8: P O E R J I E M C
C1: COMPERE (7)
C2: EMPIRE (6)
OT: COMPEER (7) REJOICE (7)
Score: 50–28 (max 62)
Well, it didn't last that long, as Mark immediately responds with a 7.
A COMPEER is an equal in rank, ability, accomplishment, etc.
Round 9: 100, 4, 1, 8, 9, 7. Target: 397.
C1: 397. ((100 - 1) x 4) + 9 - 8 (10)
C2: 397. (100 x 4) - 9 - 1 + 7 (10)
Score: 60–38 (max 72)
A super simple numbers game finally arrives. REJOICE (was also available in the last round.
) 
Teatime teaser: LITSPASM -> PALMISTS
Round 10: L O N E D R I T N
C1: TENDRIL (7)
C2: LOITER (6)
DC: TINDER (6) INTONED (7) INDOLENT (8)
OT: INDENTOR (8)
Score: 67–38 (max 80)
Another impressive 7 from Mark there, as well as a brilliant 8 from DC as well.
Round 11: G Y R E O A F I L
C1: GLORIFY (7)
C2: loafier
DC: LOAFER (6) FORAGE (6) FOLIAGE (7)
OT: FRAGILE (7)
Score: 74–38 (max 87)
Yet another fantastic 7 from Mark, which forces Dan to go risky, which backfires, letting Mark edge ever closer to his hat-trick win.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks more about the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations with quotations from Jane Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, Joan Rivers and Roseanne Barr.
Round 12: F N E D Q A E U T
C1: quanted
C2: EQUATED (7)
DC: QUANT (5)
Score: 74–45 (max 94)
But, Dan has a slither of hope, as Mark's late 7 isn't there, even though Susie would like it to be there (maybe it's in the ODO), meaning Dan needs a 9 in this last round to have a chance of winning the game.
Round 13: D N T O I E B A R
C1: RATIONED (8)
C2: debration
DC: DERATION (8) BARITONE (8) OBTAINED (8)
OT: DEBONAIR (8) DIBORANE (8) OBTAINER (8) ORDINATE (8)
Score: 82–45 (max 102)
AND A 9 ARRIVES!!!! Unfortunately, for Dan, it's a sign of desperation, as it's not in.
Just plenty of 8's, which gives Mark his 3rd win. DIBORANE is a colourless gas with an unpleasant odour, B2H6, used in the synthesis of organic boron compounds as a dope to introduce boron and as a polymerization catalyst for ethylene.
Round 14: 100, 25, 7, 8, 2, 5. Target: 309.
C1: 309. ((8 - 5) x 100) + 7 + 2 (10)
C2: 309. ((8 - 5) x 100) + 7 + 2 (10)
Score: 92–55 (max 112)
And another easy numbers puts Mark in position to get a century again.
Round 15: A C E T I M I N G
No one buzzes. The answer was ENIGMATIC.
Final Score: 92–55 (max 122)
But, like yesterday, he can't get it, but unlike yesterday, his opponent doesn't either, so it's left to an audience member who turns out to be Mark's brother-in-law who solves it.
But, it doesn't really matter too much, as Mark has his 3rd win on the spin, and while it might not have been as comfortable as yesterday's, it never seemed in doubt, and he can now look forward to trying to achieve half-octochampdom tomorrow.
But, in his way is another returner, in the shape of Series 56's Bradley Cates, who was 11 years old when he was last on back in early 2007, winning 3 games, before losing to a certain Ian Volante, the end of which you can see here.
Now at 18 years old, will he be a match for our 3-times champion
Join our new Friday recapper, Anthony Endsor, tomorrow for that. I'll be back on Wednesday for the next installment of Robinson Recaps, which if luck is on his side, will hopefully be Mark's 7th & 8th games.
So, till next week, have a great weekend, I know I will, I'm off to Blackpool.
(Maybe I'll have a nice cuppa at Chez Worsley while I'm there. )See you soon, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Mark:
Total score - 92
Raw score - 97
Total % of max - 75
Raw % of max - 80
Total average score per round - 6.1
Raw average score per round - 6.5
Number of maxes - 9
Dan:
Total score - 55
Raw score - 67
Total % of max - 45
Raw % of max - 55
Total average score per round - 3.7
Raw average score per round - 4.5
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69
