Teatime teaser

The Countdown teatime teaser is a word puzzle for viewers at home. It is not a scoring round for the contestants.

At the end of the first two sections of the programme, the host gives a short anagram and a cryptic clue. The answer is a single word made by rearranging all of the letters in the anagram.

Example: SADMOODY

Clue: We'll all be sad and moody when this arrives

Answer: "doomsday"

The puzzle is left on screen before the advertising break, giving viewers time to solve it. The answer is revealed at the start of the next section.

Unlike the Countdown conundrum, the teatime teaser is not a buzzer round, and there are no points for solving it. It is mainly there as an extra puzzle for viewers while the contestants are off-screen.

The teatime teaser is usually shorter than a conundrum. It has varied over time, but the anagram is currently 8 letters long.