Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 2 October 2014.
C1: Champion Paul Talmey (1 win, 91 points.) An NHS administrator from Crawley, West Sussex.
C2: Challenger Ellen Baker. A graduate, who works for an organic food magazine from Basingstoke, Hampshire.
DC: Susie Dent and Margaret Mountford.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: Y R L P E I J A S
R02: W L I A E H P S A
R03: 100, 6, 10, 5, 1, 6. Target: 248.
TTT: GOOSEREF - "Refrains from having more than 3 attempts, perhaps?"
R04: E D Z D A E C G A
R05: I O S F Q U D N E
R06: 100, 8, 8, 2, 3, 10. Target: 927.
R07: R B L X O A M I C
R08: T P O R E I T N E
R09: 50, 10, 8, 5, 9, 7. Target: 814.
TTT: DEEPPREP - "The cartoon pig was covered in seasoning"
R10: A H D R E T S I M
R11: C V S T E O R E G
R12: S R I A N T K E N
R13: T V W S I O M U R
R14: 75, 2, 7, 4, 6, 5. Target: 592.
R15: D U T C H B E E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: Y R L P E I J A S
Paul: pailers
Ellen: JASPER (6)
DC: PEARLS (6) PEARLY (6) REPLAYS (7) PARSLEY (7)
OT: JAILERS (7) PAISLEY (7) PARLEYS (7) PLAYERS (7) SPARELY (7)
Score: 0–6 (max 7)
A bad start for Paul, as he can't have his pailers, so Ellen can admire her JASPER at least.
A PARLEY is a conference between opposing sides in a dispute, especially a discussion of terms for an armistice.
Round 2: W L I A E H P S A
Paul: WHALES (6)
Ellen: PHIALS (6)
DC: APHELIA (7)
OT: SHAWLIE (7)
Score: 6–12 (max 14)
An impressive 7 from DC, but it's 6 apiece for our contestants here........
A SHAWLIE is a dated term for a poor working-class woman, mainly in Scotland, Ireland and Northern England.
Round 3: 100, 6, 10, 5, 1, 6. Target: 248.
Paul: -
Ellen: 250. (((6 / 6) + 1) x 100) + (5 x 10) (7)
RR: 247/249. (7)
OT: 248. ((((10 + 5) x 100) - 6) / 6) - 1 (10)
Score: 6–19 (max 24)
A nasty looking numbers game here, which Ellen manages to get within 2, but Rachel, like me, can only get within one............
Teatime teaser: GOOSEREF -> FOREGOES
Round 4: E D Z D A E C G A
Paul: DECADE (6)
Ellen: CADGED (6)
Score: 12–25 (max 30)
Just a couple of 6's here, but our contestants get them both.
Round 5: I O S F Q U D N E
Paul: SOUND (5)
Ellen: SQUID (5)
DC: QUINS (5) INFUSED (7) QUOINED (7)
OT: FONDUES (7) FUNDIES (7)
Score: 17–30 (max 37)
A few 7's around, but our contestants are content with their 5's.
Round 6: 100, 8, 8, 2, 3, 10. Target: 927.
Paul: 927. (100 + 3) x (10 - (8 / 8)) (10)
Ellen: 922.
Score: 27–30 (max 47)
Paul finds the trick with the numbers and reduces the gap to 3 points......
Margaret talks about Hercules and his 12 labours.
Round 7: R B L X O A M I C
Paul: MORAL (5)
Ellen: CLAIM (5)
DC: AXIOM (5) CLIMAX (6)
OT: MAILBOX (7)
Score: 32–35 (max 54)
Nothing much more than 5's and a 6 here, but they could've posted themselves a nice darrenic 7.
Round 8: T P O R E I T N E
Paul: POINTER (7)
Ellen: PORTENT (7)
DC: PROTEIN (7) REPOINT (7)
OT: ENTREPOT (8)
Score: 39–42 (max 62)
Plenty of 7's all around, and another darren goes-a-begging............
An ENTREPOT is a port, city, or other centre to which goods are brought for import and export, and for collection and distribution.
Round 9: 50, 10, 8, 5, 9, 7. Target: 814.
Paul: -
Ellen: -
RR: 814. ((50 x 8) + 7) x (10 / 5) (10)
Score: 39–42 (max 72)
Oh dear, oh dear, a double blank from the contestants here...........
Teatime teaser: DEEPPREP -> PEPPERED
Round 10: A H D R E T S I M
Paul: THREADS (7)
Ellen: HARDIEST (8)
DC: MARDIEST (8) MISHEARD (8)
OT: READMITS (8)
Score: 39–50 (max 80)
A brilliant 8 from Ellen to take her lead back into double figures.
Round 11: C V S T E O R E G
Paul: CORTEGES (8)
Ellen: VECTORS (7)
Score: 47–50 (max 88)
But, Paul strikes back with an even better 8 in the next round
This game is going to the wire, methinks. Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origin of "floozy".
Round 12: S R I A N T K E N
Paul: RETAINS (7)
Ellen: TINKERS (7)
DC: TRANNIES (8)
OT: ENTRAINS (8) NARKIEST (8)
Score: 54–57 (max 96)
Our contestants are in a way declaring the opposite words in this round............
Round 13: T V W S I O M U R
Paul: WORST (5)
Ellen: STORM (5)
DC: WRIST (5) MOIST (5) VISOR (5) VOMITS (6)
OT: TOURISM (7) VOMITUS (7)
Score: 59–62 (max 103)
The WORST STORM passes, with the gap still at 3. What next, I wonder, with a crucial conundrum still a more than likely possibility..............
VOMITUS is quite literally matter that has been vomited.
Round 14: 75, 2, 7, 4, 6, 5. Target: 592.
Paul: 592. ((6 + 2) x 75) - (5 - 4 + 7) (10)
Ellen: 595.
Score: 69–62 (max 113)
Well, Ellen's missed out big style, and Paul retakes the lead with one round to go, but it is a CRUCIAL CONUNDRUM
Round 15: D U T C H B E E R
Ellen buzzes on 1.5 seconds to say BUTCHERED which is correct.
Final Score: 69–72 (max 123)
WOAH! WOAH!! WOAH!!! Quick as a flash, Ellen solves the conundrum to put a halt to Paul's run.
I think she seemed to surprise herself, but she is a deserving winner, and will be back tomorrow to defend her title. Join Anthony to see if she can make it back-to-back wins.
I'll be back next week for the event of the year: THE LONG AWAITED RETURN TO THE COUNTDOWN SCENE OF DAN "THE KIVETON KOLOSSUS" McCOLM.
(I wonder if I've bigged that up too much. )So, till then, have a great weekend, and bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Paul:
Total score - 69
Raw score - 76
Total % of max - 56
Raw % of max - 62
Total average score per round - 4.6
Raw average score per round - 5.1
Number of maxes - 4
Ellen:
Total score - 72
Raw score - 93
Total % of max - 59
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 4.8
Raw average score per round - 6.2
Number of maxes - 3
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=71