Spoilers for Tuesday 26th May

Howard Somerset · Post by **Howard Somerset** » Tue May 26, 2009 1:03 pm

Today we should see two forum members in action, as I believe James is being joined by Jack, who some of us met at CoNot on Saturday.

Best of luck to both of you.

Junaid Mubeen · Post by **Junaid Mubeen** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:36 pm

OVARITIS as a beater, rd 4.

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:37 pm

SHUTSERUP with a nine in round 3

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:38 pm

Simpler first numbers:

75x7 + 50 - 6/6

Chris Davies · Post by **Chris Davies** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:38 pm

RIGADOON - round 1.

Mike Brailsford · Post by **Mike Brailsford** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:42 pm

Barry Cryer told that ventriloquist's story the last time he was on. As I recall Kai was the champion at the time.

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:43 pm

You should see him down the pub...

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:49 pm

close one this... that's not Jack from apterous is it? Missed the start...

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:50 pm

I would have been 100 percent on that...

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:52 pm

ooh... tense. I wonder did James have a 6 there? Obviously not... polite was an easy enough spot...

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:52 pm

I'd never in a million years write 'per cent' as two words. Plus I've never come across this one before; American words are allowed, but American spellings are not. So I suppose 'percent' is the American spelling of 'per cent' - it doesn't matter than 'per cent' is two words not one. But I'm amazed it's not it.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:59 pm

Andy Wilson wrote:ooh... tense. I wonder did James have a 6 there? Obviously not... polite was an easy enough spot...

Yeah, there were lots of easy 6s (PLANET was another one), and there was also POLENTA for 7 - Jack obviously lost focus for a moment there.

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:03 pm

ARSETEARS

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:08 pm

What a game... WELL DONE JAMES!!!

Ben Wilson · Post by **Ben Wilson** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:09 pm

Ouch, unlucky Jack.

Andrew Hulme · Post by **Andrew Hulme** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:11 pm

I don't post in these threads very often... but that was awesome!!

Bout time there was a good quality close encounter.

Well done James. Great Win

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:15 pm

Ben Wilson wrote:Ouch, unlucky Jack.

Yes, if only he hadn't messed up the last numbers round he'd have been safe going into the conundrum. Well played by both players but congratulations especially for a brilliant fight back by the DOD-a-like.

Darren Carter · Post by **Darren Carter** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:27 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:
Andy Wilson wrote:ooh... tense. I wonder did James have a 6 there? Obviously not... polite was an easy enough spot...
Yeah, there were lots of easy 6s (PLANET was another one), and there was also POLENTA for 7 - Jack obviously lost focus for a moment there.

IMPLANT, TOENAIL, ELATION etc - I think that round is the one that Jack would look back on as the decider, unlucky Jack.

Howard Somerset · Post by **Howard Somerset** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:29 pm

Great game. Well done James, and real bad luck Jack.

Jack Morgan · Post by **Jack Morgan** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:37 pm

Thanks guys, at least I lost in a good game!

There were actually FOUR conundrums, a countdown record. Due to time constraints they cut two of them out, including one with me incorrectly guessing "puppeter" when the answer was "puppeteer". Shame they cut those, but oh well.

Well played James for coming back like that!

Andrew Hulme · Post by **Andrew Hulme** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:44 pm

4 conundrums!

Awesome... how long was left after you guessed PUPPETER for James to buzz in with the right answer?!

Marc Meakin · Post by **Marc Meakin** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:55 pm

Martin Gardner wrote:I'd never in a million years write 'per cent' as two words. Plus I've never come across this one before; American words are allowed, but American spellings are not. So I suppose 'percent' is the American spelling of 'per cent' - it doesn't matter than 'per cent' is two words not one. But I'm amazed it's not it.

Would Susie have checked PERCENT had Jeff not interjected?

Or would someone had told her anyway and it would have been edited

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:57 pm

*snigger*

Richard Priest · Post by **Richard Priest** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:10 pm

Well done James, great game. Bad luck Jack, really felt for you there.

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:24 pm

Darren Carter wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:
Andy Wilson wrote:ooh... tense. I wonder did James have a 6 there? Obviously not... polite was an easy enough spot...
Yeah, there were lots of easy 6s (PLANET was another one), and there was also POLENTA for 7 - Jack obviously lost focus for a moment there.
IMPLANT, TOENAIL, ELATION etc - I think that round is the one that Jack would look back on as the decider, unlucky Jack.

Ooh, PTOMAINE then.

(Sorry, I haven't watched it yet)

Clive Brooker · Post by **Clive Brooker** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:31 pm

Jack Morgan wrote:There were actually FOUR conundrums, a countdown record. Due to time constraints they cut two of them out...

This seems wrong to me. A bit ironic that it happened on a day when the DC yarn was a repeat (allegedly).

Edit: Thanks for telling us Jack. Exciting game and very bad luck.

Henry Meier · Post by **Henry Meier** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:38 pm

Unlucky Jack, great game and very well played to you both

Ralph Gillions · Post by **Ralph Gillions** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:43 pm

Four conundrums!
A tight finish such as that is so rare - and yet they decide not to show us.
I think that is unfair and silly.
Great game James and Jack.

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:58 pm

And had Jack risked REMODEL he would have won it too. No offence to James but I thought that was Jack's game in the bag, easily. Can't believe he lost it. Unlucky mate - what a game.

James Doohan · Post by **James Doohan** » Tue May 26, 2009 7:04 pm

marc meakin wrote:
Martin Gardner wrote:I'd never in a million years write 'per cent' as two words. Plus I've never come across this one before; American words are allowed, but American spellings are not. So I suppose 'percent' is the American spelling of 'per cent' - it doesn't matter than 'per cent' is two words not one. But I'm amazed it's not it.
Would Susie have checked PERCENT had Jeff not interjected?

Or would someone had told her anyway and it would have been edited

upstairs had already spotted it, jeff justs looks bad for asking on tv

Andrew Hulme wrote:4 conundrums!

Awesome... how long was left after you guessed PUPPETER for James to buzz in with the right answer?!

I had already buzzed at this stage, being so hyped up from still being in the game (luckily), seeing letters that weren't even there

Kirk Bevins wrote:And had Jack risked REMODEL he would have won it too. No offence to James but I thought that was Jack's game in the bag, easily. Can't believe he lost it. Unlucky mate - what a game.

yeah, but if I stuck with the words I had in part two I would have won, what happened happened and made it a great game to watch (not to take part in though)

Saving the best for last:
Jack has to be one of the nicest people i've ever had the pleasure to meet, shame one of us had to lose but he took really well, much much better than I would have, thoroughly enjoyed spending the day in the studios with him and if your reading this Jack, drop me a line so we can stay in touch

Andy Thomson · Post by **Andy Thomson** » Tue May 26, 2009 7:26 pm

Martin Gardner wrote:I've never come across this one before; American words are allowed, but American spellings are not.

Seriously? You've never heard that before? That's been the rule since Whiteley's days. Do you watch the programme at all?

Tracey Lilly · Post by **Tracey Lilly** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:57 pm

Peonies for another 7 in round 2

Dan Vanniasingham · Post by **Dan Vanniasingham** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:02 am

I had no idea the Jack from CoNot was on today until 3:26pm - did you trek to Notts from Whitstable?!

One of the best games to watch this year, and it's a shame the full conundrum saga couldn't have been played out. To lose on a crucial conundrum has got to be tough, but to lose on 4 of them?

Well played to James though, the two conundrum spots shown were very quick under such pressure.

Marc Meakin · Post by **Marc Meakin** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:31 am

I think that it would be a good idea if challengers, who get beaten by a tiebreak conundrum, automatically get another chance in the next series

Does anybody else agree ?

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:33 am

Andy Thomson wrote:
Martin Gardner wrote:I've never come across this one before; American words are allowed, but American spellings are not.
Seriously? You've never heard that before? That's been the rule since Whiteley's days. Do you watch the programme at all?

You've actually missed the emphasis (or it was a deliberate joke, in which case I've missed it too). I mean, obviously stuff like FLAVOR/FLAVOUR it's a pretty clear cut case, but what happens when one word becomes two? Can you consider something to be a 'variant spelling' in this case? I'm not aware of anything specific that covers this in the rules, but I reckon they got this one right. Somewhat astoundingly, PERCENT isn't in my older ODE at all. Surely this is just a really bad omission.

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:34 am

marc meakin wrote:I think that it would be a good idea if challengers, who get beaten by a tiebreak conundrum, automatically get another chance in the next series

Does anybody else agree ?

I'm sure someone agrees, just not me.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:07 am

Martin Gardner wrote:Somewhat astoundingly, PERCENT isn't in my older ODE at all. Surely this is just a really bad omission.

Why? PER CENT is the standard spelling in British English. If PERCENT is creeping in as a variant, then it's fair enough that newer editions list it as such, but the compilers of older editions weren't clairvoyant.

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:32 am

Well, this version was published in 1998. Searching for "percent" on Google books between 1500 and 1998 gets 188,536 hits (English only) while "percent" gets 157,600 (English only). So even before 1998, percent was the more common spelling. When I say 'per cent' it makes me pause between the words, while percent I stress the last syllable.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:56 am

I'm trying to think of an occasion I have had cause to write 'per cent' instead of just %, none is coming to me...

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:17 pm

Martin Gardner wrote:When I say 'per cent' it makes me pause between the words, while percent I stress the last syllable.

Really? So does the space "make you" pause between the words when you say per minute, per month, per diem, per annum etc? And why should per cent be a special case and spelled as one word when all the others are two?

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:21 pm

marc meakin wrote:I think that it would be a good idea if challengers, who get beaten by a tiebreak conundrum, automatically get another chance in the next series

Does anybody else agree ?

Yeah, I think so. But I'm pretty sure if such a person reapplied they'd be given another chance anyway, so it just filters out people who weren't that fussed anyway.

Michael Wallace wrote:I'm trying to think of an occasion I have had cause to write 'per cent' instead of just %, none is coming to me...

FWIW it's a lot easier on a phone, at least on my model, to type words than to find symbols.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:26 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Michael Wallace wrote:I'm trying to think of an occasion I have had cause to write 'per cent' instead of just %, none is coming to me...
FWIW it's a lot easier on a phone, at least on my model, to type words than to find symbols.

I think I'd always go for the symbol option on the grounds of character-saving, although I suppose if your message was something short like "I'm 100% sure I'm right" then it's not that big a dael.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:30 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:And why should per cent be a special case and spelled as one word when all the others are two?

That's just how English works. We went from "to morrow" to "to-morrow" to "tomorrow", same with "alone" (used to be "all one") and many other examples. "Alright" is now pretty standard, and other words that commonly occur together, including "per cent" will tend to undergo the same process.

Clive Brooker · Post by **Clive Brooker** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:32 pm

marc meakin wrote:I think that it would be a good idea if challengers, who get beaten by a tiebreak conundrum, automatically get another chance in the next series

Does anybody else agree ?

I disagree, because all appearances on Countdown are at the discretion of the organisers.

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:44 pm

Carrying on from my previous post, from 1998-2009, 'percent' is more than six-times as common as 'per cent'.

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:21 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:"I'm 100% sure I'm right" then it's not that big a dael.

You can never be 100% sure of anything according to Charlie.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:51 pm

Kirk Bevins wrote:You can never be 100% sure of anything according to Charlie.

Is he certain of that?

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:56 pm

Kirk Bevins wrote:You can never be 100% sure of anything according to Charlie.

Are you certain of that?

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:45 pm

Kirk Bevins wrote:
Michael Wallace wrote:"I'm 100% sure I'm right" then it's not that big a dael.
You can never be 100% sure of anything according to Charlie.

...and anyone who understands maths. Did you spot that Raccoon was mocking you in the OP?

Dinos Sfyris · Post by **Dinos Sfyris** » Thu May 28, 2009 11:36 am

Just caught up with this game online. Quality stuff! As someone else mentioned above I really thought Jack had it in the bag but well done to James. Very eerie that you should manage 89 after it was mentioned in the introduction! Just about to watch your 4th game now.

Phil Reynolds wrote:brilliant fight back by the DOD-a-like.

Strange I thought he looked a bit like Jonathon Coles. Now I'm wondering what really went on during their quarter-final

Just to add, Jack it was great to meet you at CONOT and hope to see you at the next one. Speaking of CONOT, despite the flattish rounds today there were a few Countdown Whatever! 9s: ANTIVIRUS, BEDJACKET, RECEPTION, PTOMAINES/MELANOTIC/PLANETOID etc and having read Chris Davies post RIGADOONS?