Tuesday 30th November 2010 (Series 63, Prelim 102)

[Ryan Taylor]

Countdown recap for Tuesday 30 November 2010.

C1: Champion Greg Hayhurst (3 wins, 273 points.)
C2: Challenger Alasdair Redmond.
DC: Susie Dent and John Suchet.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: R T S O U A D O E
R02: W S R E O E I M N
R03: D S S O I G W I S
R04: R G F A O A O C E
R05: 4, 9, 1, 2, 5, 8. Target: 281.
TTT: POWERMAT - "This unfussy eater will have whatever you're having"
R06: T L G P O E E D A
R07: D R V I A E N J A
R08: D R P N E U I N R
R09: B F V O A E K M H
R10: 75, 3, 4, 6, 4, 2. Target: 497.
TTT: MINTYHAG - "I can't remember his name, I think it's Bob"
R11: P T R I A I I S E
R12: L M Q L A E I T T
R13: L T S U E U E L I
R14: 25, 8, 2, 6, 7, 9. Target: 692.
R15: Z I M M E R O D E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Greg Hayhurst judging by yesterday's performance is here to stay. It will take a mighty fine opponent to knock him off his perch, maybe even an apterite.

And an apterite is what we've got with Alasdair Redmond. He is a 47 year old Royal Mail manager from Cambridge who likes to run marathons (over 60 in fact). His ambition now is to run from Land's End to John O'Groats and I could join him as I want to walk it! A little tidbit of trivia is the fact that Land's End to John O'Groats is known as LEJOG ("le jog") but this is not the interesting bit! This was asked in an episode of Eggheads which stumped the Eggheads up until the point that Dermot told them it was all written in capital letters which CJ then managed to work out.

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: R T S O U A D O E

C1: ROASTED (7)
C2: ROASTED (7)
DC: ROOSTED (7) ROUSTED (7) TORSADE (7)
OT: AROUSED (7) DASTOOR (7) DETOURS (7) DOUREST (7) OUTDOES (7) OUTRODE (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

A very flat round to kick the game off even John Suchet spotted ROASTED although he bemusingly said that it was due to the letters appearing in pretty much the right order. Forgive me, but if he thinks ROASTED is in the right order in that selection, then I'm a Jew.

Round 2: W S R E O E I M N

C1: MINERS (6)
C2: SWORE (5)
DC: SNOWIER (7) WIREMEN (7) WINSOME (7)
OT: EMERSION (8)
Score: 13–7 (max 15)

Hard to no if Greg went with MINERS or MINORS but either way it is 6 points to Greg and he establishes an early lead. SNOWIER fittingly shows itself whilst the darren goes unspotted by everyone concerned.

Round 3: D S S O I G W I S

C1: DOGS (4)
C2: swiss
DC: SWIGS (5)
Score: 17–7 (max 20)

The darren doesn't go amiss this time though. Quite amazing that the darren is in fact just 5. Horrid, horrid letters. Due to Alasdair's mistake of offering a proper noun, Greg turns his lead into 10 points.

Round 4: R G F A O A O C E

C1: FORAGE (6)
C2: GRACE (5)
DC: CARAFE (6)
JS: FOREGO (6)
OT: AGORAE (6)
Score: 23–7 (max 26)

For the third time in a row Greg beats Alasdair by spotting the max. Whilst Jeff Stelling manages to find FOREGO.

Round 5: 4, 9, 1, 2, 5, 8. Target: 281.

C1: 280. (4*5+8)*(9+1) (7)
C2: 282. (4*5+8)*(9+1)+2 (7)
RR: 281. (9*8-2)*4+1 (10)
Score: 30–14 (max 36)

A tricky 6 small stumps both men as they only manage 1 away either side of the target. Rachel shows them the light with a tidy solution.

DC Guest Time: I'll be honest with you, I completely zoned out of listening to the slot this Tuesday. And by the sounds of it the audience did too as his anecdote was one of those that ended with an awkward silence for Jeff to recover.

Teatime teaser: POWERMAT -> TAPEWORM

Round 6: T L G P O E E D A

C1: GLOATED (7)
C2: PLEATED (7)
DC: TADPOLE (7)
OT: ADOPTEE (7) GOATEED (7) PLEDGET (7)
Score: 37–21 (max 43)

Again an extremely flat round. Move on.

Round 7: D R V I A E N J A

C1: VARIED (6)
C2: DRIVEN (6)
DC: INVADER (7) RAVINED (7)
OT: ARANEID (7) VERANDA (7)
Score: 43–27 (max 50)

Greg chose to stick with a 6 after declaring second which is probably best at this stage of the game although I reckon he maybe had INVADER. DC pick out another 7 whilst ARANEID is also there being an order of spider.

Round 8: D R P N E U I N R

C1: UNDERPIN (8)
C2: unripen
Score: 51–27 (max 58)

Great spot, sir. Greg is cruising now with that darrenical find.

Round 9: B F V O A E K M H

C1: FOVEA (5)
C2: MOVE (4)
DC: ABOVE (5)
OT: BOHEA (5) OBEAH (5) BOKEH (5) MAHOE (5)
Score: 56–27 (max 63)

And a classic apto word adds to Greg's growing lead from a round that offered lot's of obscure 5's. So let's define the 4 unusual 5's:

BOHEA is a kind of black tea.
OBEAH is a form of folk magic or witchcraft practiced in the West Indies.
BOKEH is a term from photography and MWM would tell you it is the aesthetic quality of the blur in a picture.
MAHOE is boringly, a tree.

Susie's Origins of Words: Susie is again talking about the roots of plant names.

Round 10: 75, 3, 4, 6, 4, 2. Target: 497.

C1: 498.
C2: 497. (75+4+4)*6-(3-2) (10)
Score: 56–37 (max 73)

That numbers game has made things slightly more interesting now as the gap is closed to 19 points by Alasdair.

Teatime teaser: MINTYHAG -> THINGAMY

I liked that teaser. Didn't know it was a word!

Round 11: P T R I A I I S E

C1: PIRATES (7)
C2: PARTIES (7)
DC: PIASTRE (7)
OT: PARITIES (8)
Score: 63–44 (max 81)

To me, PARITIES jumped out but PIRATES and PARTIES is good too...

Round 12: L M Q L A E I T T

C1: mattie
C2: METAL (5)
DC: MALLET (6) MILLET (6) LITTLE (6)
OT: MALLEI (6) TAILLE (6)
Score: 63–49 (max 87)

Is that a sign of nerves kicking in with a silly 6 from Greg? The gap is now down to 14 points so this may be a tense finale. Interestingly all the available maxes in this round included a double letter.

Round 13: L T S U E U E L I

C1: SUITE (5)
C2: STEEL (5)
DC: ELITES (6) TELLIES (7)
Score: 68–54 (max 94)

Ack, I really thought this was a big chance for Alasdair to spot TELLIES and get within 10 points of Greg but unfortunately not. Alasdair is going to have to rely on a special numbers round here for a shot at making a very good comeback.

Round 14: 25, 8, 2, 6, 7, 9. Target: 692.

C1: 692. (6-2)*7*25-8 (10)
C2: 692. (7+9+2*6)*25-8 (10)
Score: 78–64 (max 104)

Phew! Relief for Greg no doubt as he has got 692 and with it wins his fourth game.

Round 15: Z I M M E R O D E

C1 buzzes on 25 seconds to say MEMORIZED which is correct.
Final Score: 88–64 (max 114)

Another late conundrum solve by Greg would have been dramatic had it been crucial but it wasn't to be. Again Greg was too strong for his opponent and that is now 4 wins out of 4. Ooooooh we're halfway there! Which reminds me, I need to go buy that Bon Jovi CD...

That's it for the week from me.

Play nicely in the snow children and I'll see you next Monday!

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63

[Matt Morrison]

Land's End to John O'Groats is known as LEJOG ("le jog") but this is not the interesting bit! This was asked in an episode of Eggheads which stumped the Eggheads up until the point that Dermot told them it was all written in capital letters which CJ then managed to work out.

I don't watch Eggheads any more but it always pissed me off when the Eggheads got little extra bits of info to help them out, the cunts.

DC Guest Time: I'll be honest with you, I completely zoned out of listening to the slot this Tuesday. And by the sounds of it the audience did too as his anecdote was one of those that ended with an awkward silence for Jeff to recover.

First time I've watched live rather than on Sky+ for ages, so had to sit through it. Something about awkward newsreader's mistakes - someone who said "cross-flannel cherries" instead of "cross-channel ferries" (Suchet is apparently such an inadequate newsreader that he's subsequently avoided using that phrase in all his years of newsery), and someone who prounounced Celtic (as in the football team) with a hard C - Suchet has to have this spelt as 'Seltic' on the autocue.

BOKEH is a term from photography and MWM would tell you it is the aesthetic quality of the blur in a picture.

Didn't know dat. Cool. Thanks Ry Ry for making my life complete.

Susie's Origins of Words: Susie is again talking about the roots of plant names.

I take it the italics mark a reference to some sort of sexual fantasy, you freak.

Teatime teaser: MINTYHAG -> THINGAMY
I liked that teaser. Didn't know it was a word!

OMG totally the sames Ry!

Round 15: Z I M M E R O D E

C1 buzzes on 25 seconds to say MEMORIZED which is correct.

minus 1 point for missing out on making a joke about Greg having forgotten to memorize that word after such a slow spot.

[John Bosley]

OUTSOARED for 9 in Round 1 - or am I wrong?

[James Robinson]

Score: 63–49 (max 87)

The gap is now down to 15 points so this may be a tense finale.

Since when did 63 - 49 make 15

OUTSOARED for 9 in Round 1 - or am I wrong?

Yes.

[Ryan Taylor]

Score: 63–49 (max 87)

The gap is now down to 15 points so this may be a tense finale.

Since when did 63 - 49 make 15

Typo, honest.