C1: Champion Heather Badcock (2 wins, 174 points.)
C2: Challenger Irene Wilson.
DC: Susie Dent and Graham Cole.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
Apterite Heather Badcock has won her first two games: the first fairly comfortably against Chris Smith, the second comfortably after a shaky start against Stevie Wright. Can she make it three with a win against Irene Wilson from Darlington? On paper, I’d say yes: the young Apterite against the slightly more mature Irene – has to be the young religious studies teacher odds-on for the win – doesn’t it? Let’s find out!
R01: S K E R U P R A Q
R02: T D E U N T N E V
R03: L A S W I N A M I
R04: P S E O L T E R P
R05: 50, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4. Target: 340.
TTT: MALTYPIE - "It's when you go out, and never want to come back in again."
R06: B G I E M R A S D
R07: S L E I T O L M C
R08: F M A I B T E O N
R09: O V D A T I C E S
R10: 100, 9, 1, 7, 2, 3. Target: 297.
TTT: UPCINDER - "Is it dear, dear? I've no idea."
R11: P C A Y N E D A R
R12: G N E I T S Z E D
R13: N O E R F U R H L
R14: 50, 2, 3, 6, 4, 1. Target: 753.
R15: N O B L E D U C K (conundrum)
Countdown is sponsored by Ibuleve Gel. Pain relief without pills.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
It’s Prince Andrew’s 50th birthday, so Jeff and Rachel indulge in some royal-related banter at the start of the show. And why not?
Round 1: S K E R U P R A Q
C1: SQUARER (7)
C2: SQUARE (6)
DC: RASPER (6)
OT: PARURES (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Heather spots one of the two maxes to go into an early lead. A PARURE is a set of jewels to be worn together. Shame PARKERS isn’t valid, surely there are plenty of lousy ones out there?
Round 2: T D E U N T N E V
C1: VETTED (6)
C2: VENTED (6)
DC: UNVENTED (8)
Score: 13–6 (max 15)
It’s ‘kick yourself under the table time’ for Irene as DC come up with the doubly darrenic UNVENTED.
Round 3: L A S W I N A M I
C1: SALAMI (6)
C2: ANIMALS (7)
DC: MAINSAIL (8)
Score: 13–13 (max 23)
What’s this? Heather’s stuck with SALAMI, but Irene’s gone one better with ANIMALS? This might be game on after all... DC indulge their knowledge of the ‘Sloop John B’ to spot MAINSAIL.
Round 4: P S E O L T E R P
C1: STOPPER (7)
C2: TOPPLES (7)
DC: TOPPERS (7)
OT: ESTOPPEL (8) POPSTREL (8)
Score: 20–20 (max 31)
Sadly, you can’t be a TOPPLER, but ESTOPPEL is a great word, albeit with a complicated legal definition.
Round 5: 50, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4. Target: 340.
C1: 340. (50x7)-9-1 (10)
C2: 340. (50x7)-9-1 (10)
Score: 30–30 (max 41)
After a shaky start from Irene, who had written two solutions down and started to read out the wrong one, both our players score ten points to keep the scores all even at 30 apiece.
Graham Cole gives us the last potted excerpt from his memoirs (available now at all good booksellers) before we go into the break.
Teatime teaser: MALTYPIE -> PLAYTIME
Round 6: B G I E M R A S D
C1: MIRAGES (7)
C2: BRAISED (7)
DC: BRIGADES (8)
OT: ABRIDGES (8)
Score: 37–37 (max 49)
When will the deadlock be broken? This is quite a game...
Round 7: S L E I T O L M C
C1: CLIMES (6)
C2: mistle
DC: CITOLES (7)
OT: MELILOTS (8)
Score: 43–37 (max 57)
Oh no! Irene falls into the classic ‘mistle is O.K., but only in combination with thrush’ trap, and gives the lead back to Heather. MELILOTS are herbaceous plants of the pea family.
Round 8: F M A I B T E O N
C1: BATON (5)
C2: FAMINE (6)
DC: AMBIENT (7) BOATMEN (7) AMNIOTE (7)
Score: 43–43 (max 64)
Irene pulls it back with six; DC are on fire, getting all three of the sevens available.
Round 9: O V D A T I C E S
C1: DATIVES (7)
C2: ADVICE (6)
DC: COSTIVE (7)
OT: ACTIVES (7) ADVECTS (7) ADVICES (7) AVOCETS (7) OCTAVES (7) COASTED (7) COTISED (7) DACOITS (7) IODATES (7) TOADIES (7) VOIDEST (7)
Score: 50–43 (max 71)
Nice word from Heather; I think Irene said ADVICE, but I’m not 100% sure; I’m surprised Susie didn’t mention COSTIVE’s alternative definition on this occasion; and my, what a lot of sevens there are! Not sure about VOIDEST, tbh.
OoW: It's "Call My Bluff" time again and today's word is 'meliturgy'. It's all to do with bees, apparently, but sadly Rach guesses incorrectly: "I lose again".
Round 10: 100, 9, 1, 7, 2, 3. Target: 297.
C1: 297. (100-1)x3 (10)
C2: 297. (100x3)-(2+1) (10)
Score: 60–53 (max 81)
Another target nearly divisible by 50, and another ten points for both Heather and Irene.
Teatime teaser: UPCINDER -> UNPRICED
Round 11: P C A Y N E D A R
C1: PRANCED (7)
C2: PRANCED (7)
DC: DAYCARE (7)
OT: ARDENCY (7)
Score: 67–60 (max 88)
DC are right on the money with the North American count noun DAYCARE. (The British version is two words and a mass noun to boot.)
Round 12: G N E I T S Z E D
C1: zesting
C2: SEEDING (7)
DC: INGESTED (8)
Score: 67–67 (max 96)
Perhaps surprisingly (well, both Susie and I were surprised, for a start), zesting isn’t allowed. Chambers reckons it’s OK, although not in quite the context either of us was thinking.
Round 13: N O E R F U R H L
C1: HURLER (6)
C2: ENROL (5)
DC: FLEURON (7)
OT: FORERUN (7)
Score: 73–67 (max 103)
Round 14: 50, 2, 3, 6, 4, 1. Target: 753.
C1: 753. ((4+1)x3x50)+(6/2) (10)
C2: 753. ((4+1)x3x50)+(6/2) (10)
Score: 83–77 (max 113)
A perfect 30 for both our protagonists make it the first crucial conundrum in over a week.
Round 15: N O B L E D U C K
C1 buzzes on 13 seconds to say UNBLOCKED which is correct.
Score: 93–77 (max 123)
Heather’s done it, despite Irene putting up a cracking fight... but how much longer can she survive? Tune in on Monday to find out.
This recap was brought to you by British Rail.
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62