Let's see what today conjures up. 
Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 22 October 2014.
C1: Champion Jonny Rye (1 win, 89 points.) An Apterite and Politics & French student at Southampton University, although he's originally from Loughborough, Leicestershire. He once viewed New York City by night down the River Hudson after seeing a New York Yankees game.
C2: Challenger Sally Wight. A publican in a family run pub/restaurant from Drumoak, Aberdeenshire. She watches the show regularly in the pub and guess what colour dress Rachel wears each day.
DC: Susie Dent and Dave Myers.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T R L A I A P K I
R02: N R A U I G Y D M
R03: 75, 6, 2, 10, 7, 9. Target: 138.
TTT: SCOREHOT - "In cowboy films, these were hot property"
R04: T R D E I E T D A
R05: T B L E O E M S Q
R06: 25, 7, 4, 3, 6, 10. Target: 727.
R07: S H S O A O B D E
R08: M F O E X D O E T
R09: 100, 10, 4, 9, 2, 7. Target: 747.
TTT: CRUSHEGG - "They're always trying to get you to shell out"
R10: N R C O U E P R T
R11: N T N U O A T Z R
R12: N S W I A E D J N
R13: M R S U E I E F S
R14: 100, 6, 5, 6, 2, 10. Target: 175.
R15: S E N D T I G G I (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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
Enjoy the show.
Round 1: T R L A I A P K I
Jonny: PATRIAL (7)
Sally: TRAIL (5)
DC: PARTIAL (7) LARIAT (6)
OT: TILAPIA (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
A good start by Jonny who comes up with a decent 7.
A TILAPIA is an African freshwater cichlid fish that has been widely introduced to many areas for food, such as St Peter’s fish. (Tilapia and related genera, family Cichlidae).
Round 2: N R A U I G Y D M
Jonny: RADIUM (6)
Sally: DURING (6)
DC: MYRIAD (6) GAUDY (5)
OT: YARDING (7)
Score: 13–6 (max 14)
Plenty of 6's in this round, but there is one 7 lurking there...........
YARDING is a North American term for storing or transport wood in or to a timber yard.
Round 3: 75, 6, 2, 10, 7, 9. Target: 138.
Jonny: 138. (9 x 7) + 75 (10)
Sally: 138. ((9 - 7) x 75) - (6 x 2) (10)
Score: 23–16 (max 24)
2 very different methods to 138, but two lots of 10 points will do.
Teatime teaser: SCOREHOT -> CHEROOTS
Round 4: T R D E I E T D A
Jonny: TRADED (6)
Sally: TREADED (7)
DC: ITERATED (8) DIETER (6)
Score: 23–23 (max 32)
Interesting that Susie says that she "has to allow" TREADED, almost makes it sound like she doesn't want to........
Round 5: T B L E O E M S Q
Jonny: MOLEST (6)
Sally: BOLTS (5)
DC: MOTELS (6) OBESE (5)
OT: BOLETES (7)
Score: 29–23 (max 39)
Sally's equalising 7 from the last round is quickly erased by Jonny's MOLEST, but there is a 7 left alone here.........
A BOLETE (or BOLETUS) is a toadstool with pores rather than gills on the underside of the cap, typically having a thick stem. (Genus Boletus, family Boletaceae, class Hymenomycetes).
Round 6: 25, 7, 4, 3, 6, 10. Target: 727.
Jonny: 727. (((25 x 4) + 3) x 7) + 6 (10)
Sally: 727. (((25 x 4) + 3) x 7) + 6 (10)
Score: 39–33 (max 49)
A method not that easy to spot for most people, but is spotted easily by our contestants.
Dave talks about one of his earliest trips in Namibia, where as well as going on their bikes, Dave used his microlight licence to do their travelling, and had to upgrade it for an African licence.
Round 7: S H S O A O B D E
Jonny: BASHED (6)
Sally: BASHED (6)
DC: BASHOS (6) ABODES (6) HOBOES (6)
OT: ADOBES (6) ADOBOS (6) BASHES (6) BOSSED (6) DASHES (6) DOSHAS (6) SASHED (6) SHADES (6) SHOOED (6)
Score: 45–39 (max 55)
BASHED by the double here.
ADOBES are bricks formed from adobe, a kind of clay used as a building material.
An ADOBO is a Filipino dish of chicken or pork stewed in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
In Ayurvedic medicine, DOSHA is each of three energies believed to circulate in the body and govern physiological activity, their differing proportions determining individual temperament and physical constitution and (when unbalanced) causing a disposition to particular physical and mental disorders.
Round 8: M F O E X D O E T
Jonny: DEMOTE (6)
Sally: FOOTED (6)
DC: DETOX (5) FOOD (4) FOXED (5)
OT: EMOTED (6) MOOTED (6)
Score: 51–45 (max 61)
6 is tops once more, and 6 is still the gap here.......
Round 9: 100, 10, 4, 9, 2, 7. Target: 747.
Jonny: 747. (100 x 7) + (4 x 10) + 9 - 2 (10)
Sally: 747. ((9 - 2) x 100) + (4 x 10) + 7 (10)
Score: 61–55 (max 71)
Another perfect numbers solve by both here. This game is certainly still too close to call............
Teatime teaser: CRUSHEGG -> CHUGGERS
Round 10: N R C O U E P R T
Jonny: TROUNCE (7)
Sally: CORRUPT (7)
DC: TROUNCER (8) COUNTER (7) pouncet
Score: 68–62 (max 79)
Oh dear, oh dear, bad luck for Jonny as DC TROUNCE his TROUNCE with a TROUNCER.
Round 11: N T N U O A T Z R
Jonny: OUTRAN (6)
Sally: OUTRAN (6)
DC: TRUANT (6)
OT: ATTORN (6) NATRON (6)
Score: 74–68 (max 85)
Both players OUTRAN, but not from each other...........
NATRON is a mineral salt found in dried lake beds, consisting of hydrated sodium carbonate.
Susie's Origins of Words talks about the origins of various terms for gym shoes, such as "plimsoles", "pumps" and "galoshes".
Round 12: N S W I A E D J N
Jonny: SINNED (6)
Sally: SWANNED (7)
Score: 74–75 (max 92)
Well, well, well, are the tables turning this time........
A darrenic 7 gives Sally the lead for the first time today. But, can she stay in the lead, with just 3 rounds to go........ Round 13: M R S U E I E F S
Jonny: MESSIER (7)
Sally: FURIES (6)
DC: SURMISE (7) FUSSIER (7)
OT: FISSURE (7) MISERES (7) MISUSER (7) REFUSES (7) REISSUE (7) REMISES (7) RESUMES (7) SURFIES (7)
Score: 81–75 (max 99)
Oh dear, that lead vanishes straight away, as Sally misses one of many 7's available, surrendering the lead back to Jonny in the process. But, the gap is still only 6 points. Still manageable at this stage. Will she gamble with the numbers
Round 14: 100, 6, 5, 6, 2, 10. Target: 175.
Jonny: 175. ((100 - 10) x 2) - 5 (10)
Sally: 173.
Score: 91–75 (max 109)
Oh dear, that is a horrible miss from Sally there, and she just thrown away the game........
Round 15: S E N D T I G G I
Jonny buzzes on 4.25 seconds to say DIGESTING which is correct.
Final Score: 101–75 (max 119)
Thankfully, Jonny buzzes in with the conundrum to make the score seem more emphatic than it actually was.
So, Jonny gets a century, which should hopefully boost his confidence, and he'll need it tomorrow, as he's taking on George Pryn, in what promises to be an interesting tussle tomorrow. Join me then to see how it turns out.
Till then, bye for now.
Statistics Corner
Jonny:
Total score - 101
Raw score - 113
Total % of max - 85
Raw % of max - 95
Total average score per round - 6.7
Raw average score per round - 7.5
Number of maxes - 10
Sally:
Total score - 75
Raw score - 98
Total % of max - 63
Raw % of max - 82
Total average score per round - 5.0
Raw average score per round - 6.5
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=71