Thursday 28th May 2009 (Series 60, Prelim 80)

[Phil Reynolds]

Countdown recap for Thursday 28 May 2009.

C1: Champion James Doohan (4 wins, 325 points). Apteroid James, from Falcarragh in County Donegal, reaches what is for him a crucial game, as a win today will secure him a place in the quarter finals. Amazingly, no one on the show has yet brought up the subject of James's famous namesake. Among other sports, James is a fan of football and supports Celtic.
C2: Challenger Michael Calder, from Aberdeenshire, currently studying (a rather clumsy edit prevents us from finding out what) at Bradford University. Michael is also a fan of football, having played for Inverness Caledonian Thistles Youth Team, and supports Rangers, so the stage is set for an Old Firm clash. Michael spent his gap year teaching English and coaching football in Jaipur in India and would like to return there when he graduates.
DC: Susie Dent and Barry Cryer.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.


R01: T S L E A E S D N
R02: P T R A O F E T U
R03: C T L S E A E S T
R04: N R X E O O H V N
R05: 100, 6, 9, 8, 6, 4. Target: 447.
TTT: RHINOGAS - "Almost like Jason, but not quite"
R06: P J B T A I A I S
R07: Q R R L O U E O O
R08: N E R I D A Z O N
R09: S T G E O E K S E
R10: 50, 2, 4, 6, 1, 8. Target: 409.
TTT: THETINGE - "Early troubles in the mouths of babes"
R11: F D M H A E O N M
R12: N T W A I U A B S
R13: G M D Y I U A D O
R14: 25, 10, 6, 9, 5, 3. Target: 105.
R15: C L E A N D I G S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: T S L E A E S D N

C1: DATELESS (8)
C2: SLANTED (7)
DC: LATENESS (8) STANDEES (8)
OT: ASSENTED (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)

A good spot by James sees him take an early lead.

Round 2: P T R A O F E T U

C1: FATTER (6)
C2: rafter
DC: TROUT (5) POUTER (6)
OT: TARTUFO (7)
Score: 14–0 (max 15)

Michael miscounts his Rs which keeps him stuck on 0. Jeff's gags today were themed around ice cream, so it's a shame no one spotted TARTUFO which is an Italian ice cream dessert.

Round 3: C T L S E A E S T

C1: CASSETTE (8)
C2: SELECTS (7)
DC: TACTLESS (8)
OT: TELECASTS (18)
Score: 22–0 (max 33)

Although missing the 9, James scores another good 8 to further extend his lead.

Round 4: N R X E O O H V N

C1: HOOVER (6)
C2: NOON (4)
DC: NOONER (6)
Score: 28–0 (max 39)

Originally a trade name, HOOVER has become a generic term for any vacuum cleaner, and also a verb describing what a vacuum cleaner does. (It sucks.) Susie puts NOONER on the pencam - it's an informal American word meaning an event, especially sexual intercourse, that occurs in the middle of the day. Jeff's deadpan reaction to this is priceless.

Round 5: 100, 6, 9, 8, 6, 4. Target: 447.

C1: 447. (100 + 8) x 4 + 6 + 9 (10)
C2: 445.
Score: 38–0 (max 49)

Not getting the numbers means Michael goes into the first break having still failed to score any points. James's quarter final position looks pretty assured.

Barry tells a story about the late Roy Castle encountering an inebriated businessman on a train.

Teatime teaser: RHINOGAS -> ORANGISH

I spent the break wondering whether "argonish" was a word, having misinterpreted the Jason in the clue as the mythical captain of the Argo (legacy of a youthful fascination with the films of Ray Harryhausen).

Round 6: P J B T A I A I S

C1: BAITS (5)
C2: PASTA (5)
OT: ABATIS (6) TIBIAS (6)
Score: 43–5 (max 55)

Michael breaks his duck at last. An ABATIS (or ABATTIS) is a kind of battlefield fortification consisting of felled trees bound together with the sharpened tops pointing towards the enemy.

Round 7: Q R R L O U E O O

C1: RULER (5)
C2: RULER (5)
OT: ROQUE (5)
Score: 48–10 (max 60)

After his third vowel, James selects two more, presumably hoping for an A for QUARREL, but it was not to be. ROQUE is an American game developed from croquet.

Round 8: N E R I D A Z O N
(The selection looks like it should be the name of a prescription tranquilliser.)

C1: ORDAIN (6)
C2: ANDIRON (7)
DC: ANODIZER (8)
OT: RENDZINA (8)
Score: 48–17 (max 68)

Michael begins to fight back with a good 7, but is it too little too late? (Clue: yes.) An ANDIRON is one of a pair of metal stands for supporting logs in a hearth; RENDZINA is a type of soil.

Round 9: S T G E O E K S E

C1: STOKES (6)
C2: skeets
OT: EGESTS (6) SETOSE (6)
Score: 54–17 (max 74)

Unluckily for Michael, SKEET (as in skeet shooting) is in but listed as a mass noun. The verb EGEST is the opposite of INGEST and means to excrete waste material; SETOSE is a biological term meaning bristly.

In OoW, Susie talks about the origins of "melancholy" and "doldrums". Her mention of the medieval belief in the four bodily humours, of which melancholy (or black bile) was one, will be familiar to anyone who's read C.J. Sansom's marvellous series of novels about Matthew Shardlake, a crime-solving lawyer in Tudor England.

Round 10: 50, 2, 4, 6, 1, 8. Target: 409.

C1: 409. 50 x 8 + 6 + 2 + 1 (10)
C2: 409. 50 x 8 + 6 + 2 + 1 (10)
Score: 64–27 (max 84)

Teatime teaser: THETINGE -> TEETHING

Round 11: F D M H A E O N M

C1: MOANED (6)
C2: MOANED (6)
DC: DAEMON (6)
OT: FANDOM (6) FOAMED (6) HAMMED (6) HODMAN (6) HODMEN (6) MADMEN (6)
Score: 70–33 (max 90)

A flat round with lots of 6s available.

Round 12: N T W A I U A B S

C1: BAITS (5)
C2: WANTS (5)
DC: ABSTAIN (7)
Score: 75–38 (max 97)

James confidently declares the same word that he had in round 6. It's not all over yet though: Michael is 37 points behind with a potential 38 still to be won...

Round 13: G M D Y I U A D O

C1: MIDDAY (6)
C2: goady
DC: GADOID (6)
OT: DAIMYO (6) GODDAM (6) OUGIYA (6)
Score: 81–38 (max 103)

A good spot by James seals the game, with a misfire from the challenger (risking the non-word "goady" when GAUDY was there). GADOID is an adjective and noun relating to a family of bony fish including cod and hake; a DAIMYO was a territorial magnate in Japan; the OUGIYA is the monetary unit of Mauritania (equal to five KHOUMS as any fule kno).

Round 14: 25, 10, 6, 9, 5, 3. Target: 105.

C1: 105. (10 - 6) x 25 + 5 (10)
C2: 105. (10 - 6) x 25 + 5 (10)
Score: 91–48 (max 113)

Jeff points out that a simpler solution would be (25 + 10) x 3.

Round 15: C L E A N D I G S

No one buzzes. The answer was DESCALING.
Score: 91–48 (max 123)

Not a particularly exciting game today, but nevertheless it's James's highest score so far and more importantly his fifth consecutive win which means that he leapfrogs over Hamish Williamson to become the number 6 seed for the quarter finals.

Today's recap brought to you by an erstwhile virgin. Why did nobody warn me it takes so long?

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=60

[Charlie Reams]

Today's recap brought to you by an erstwhile virgin. Why did nobody warn me it takes so long?

It's much faster once you get used to it. When I was doing historical recaps I could fairly consistently bang out a 15-rounder in the first adverts break of the normal show.

[Michael Wallace]

I could fairly consistently bang out a 15-rounder in the first adverts break of the normal show.

I AM QUOTING THIS BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE MASTURBATION HAHAHAHA.

[Phil Reynolds]

I could fairly consistently bang out a 15-rounder in the first adverts break

It's actually one of those phrases (like "having a quarter pounder at the Golden Arches") that sounds like it ought to be smutty but isn't.

It's not summarising the game that takes the time; it's looking up the stats, finding out what the obscure words mean etc. I probably overdid it a bit for my first one and will try and educate myself into the habit of not embroidering so much.

[Howard Somerset]

Enjoyed experiencing you losing your virginity, Phil. Look forward to more now.

Teatime teaser: RHINOGAS -> ORANGISH

I spent the break wondering whether "argonish" was a word, having misinterpreted the Jason in the clue as the mythical captain of the Argo ...

Likewise. Seeing ARGO in the selection meant I looked for no other possibilities.