It's been a while, but...
We are now into series 73, and C4C political thread comedian Rhys Benjamin is currently in the champion's chair. Can he increase his slim majority from yesterday, or will the momentum swing further away from him? Will Damian troll the living daylights out of him with LABOURIST as the conundrum? Only one way to find out, apart from looking at the Apto Wiki...
Countdown recap for Tuesday 23 June 2015.
C1: Champion Rhys Benjamin (2 wins, 170 points.) Hopefully not future Prime Minister of the UK.
C2: Challenger Maxine Jones. Stand-up comedienne and former travel writer.
DC: Susie Dent and Colin Murray.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: N S Y I U E T L O
R02: I E A F R E G N I
R03: 100, 75, 50, 25, 2, 6. Target: 107.
TTT: SUMOCHIN - "He hardly goes out any more to an extent"
R04: O S R U I T H E R
R05: S V T O A O R D U
R06: 50, 75, 3, 1, 8, 1. Target: 479.
R07: N D W A E I T O D
R08: E A I S M H A R U
R09: 25, 50, 75, 100, 7, 1. Target: 782.
TTT: GLADRAGS - "They're not what you call a bum, but they are a little behind"
R10: P B E O T V A A S
R11: T G R U E I B S O
R12: G D G A U E N O S
R13: R K N A I O T A J
R14: 75, 50, 7, 9, 4, 2. Target: 563.
R15: M U L T I C O N S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: N S Y I U E T L O
Rhys: OUTLINES (8)
Maxine: STOLEN (6)
DC: ELUTIONS (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
Rhys is off to a perfect start with one of two 8s available.
Round 2: I E A F R E G N I
Rhys: FEARING (7)
Maxine: FREEING (7)
OT: FAIRING (7) FREEGAN (7) REEFING (7)
Score: 15–7 (max 15)
A FREEGAN is "A person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods". Or, as Eric Cartman would describe them:
Round 3: 100, 75, 50, 25, 2, 6. Target: 107.
Rhys: 107. 100 + 6 + (50 ÷ 25) ÷ 2 (10)
Maxine: 107. 75 ÷ 25 − 2 + 6 + 100 (10)
Score: 25–17 (max 25)
Teatime teaser: SUMOCHIN -> INSOMUCH
Round 4: O S R U I T H E R
Rhys: SHOUTER (7)
Maxine: ROSIER (6)
OT: HERITORS (8) ROUTIERS (8)
Score: 32–17 (max 33)
The max game is off. A HERITOR is "A proprietor of a heritable object" or simply an heir, while a ROUTIER is either a "A member of a band of mercenaries in France in the late medieval period" or a long-distance lorry-driver. It's an excusable miss, as Rhys has probably never met anyone as working class as a lorry driver
Round 5: S V T O A O R D U
Rhys: TOADS (5)
Maxine: ROAST (5)
DC: ODOURS (6)
OT: DASTOOR (7)
Score: 37–22 (max 40)
FIRST ONE OF THE DAY! And, given Rhys's infamous love of Fulham FC, today's Darrens are all from his brief tenure at Fulham.
Round 6: 50, 75, 3, 1, 8, 1. Target: 479.
Rhys: 479. 50 × 8 + 75 + 3 + 1 (10)
Maxine: -
Score: 47–22 (max 50)
Maxine blanks, and Rhys goes another 10 ahead.
Round 7: N D W A E I T O D
Rhys: DONATED (7)
Maxine: WANTED (6)
OT: TOADIED (7)
Score: 54–22 (max 57)
Round 8: E A I S M H A R U
Rhys: SHAME (5)
Maxine: HAREMS (6)
OT: MUSHAIRA (8)
Score: 54–28 (max 65)
The champion drops a round to his opponent, but not with the best word available, which is a...
A mushaira is "An evening social gathering at which Urdu poetry is read, typically taking the form of a contest".
Round 9: 25, 50, 75, 100, 7, 1. Target: 782.
Rhys: 782. (100 + 1) × 7 + 75 (10)
Maxine: -
Score: 64–28 (max 75)
Maxine must have deja vu from the previous numbers round.
Teatime teaser: GLADRAGS -> LAGGARDS
Round 10: P B E O T V A A S
Rhys: BOAST (5)
Maxine: STOVE (5)
DC: OVATES (6)
OT: ABATES (6) SAVATE (6)
Score: 69–33 (max 81)
I had always assumed 'ovate' was something to do with ovations. It is not. An ovate is "A member of an order of Welsh bards recognized at an Eisteddfod" or a "Celtic priest or natural philosopher".
Round 11: T G R U E I B S O
Rhys: TIGERS (6)
Maxine: ROGUES (6)
DC: BUSTIER (7) GUSTIER (7) BROGUES (7)
OT: BOUGIES (7) BROIGES (7) BROIGUS (7) EBRIOUS (7) GOITRES (7) GORIEST (7) GOUTIER (7) GUTSIER (7) OBITERS (7) ROUGETS (7)
Score: 75–39 (max 88)
Both contestants miss approximately a million 7s.
Round 12: G D G A U E N O S
Rhys: SAGGED (6)
Maxine: sondage
DC: GUDGEONS (8)
Score: 81–39 (max 96)
Maxine's not having a good day, especially not now she's had her French-sounding word disallowed. A GUDGEON is a fish or a gullible person.
Round 13: R K N A I O T A J
Rhys: RATION (6)
Maxine: JANITOR (7)
Score: 81–46 (max 103)
She can't win, but Maxine rounds off the day's letters with a casual...
Round 14: 75, 50, 7, 9, 4, 2. Target: 563.
Rhys: 562. Mistake in working.
Maxine: 561. 50 × (9 + 2) + 7 + 4 (7)
RR: 563. 75 × 7 + 9 × 4 + 2 (10)
Score: 81–53 (max 113)
It's a late comeback for the challenger, but sadly for her, too late.
Round 15: M U L T I C O N S
No one buzzes. The answer was COLUMNIST.
Final Score: 81–53 (max 123)
It's three in a row for Rhys, but no conundrum. Ironically, given her past as a writer, Maxine also misses it.
That's all for today. Lol jk I have this week's recap to do.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=73