Ghigliottina (Cruciverba Lab)

About Ghigliottina (Cruciverba Lab)

The Ghigliottina format became famous on L'Eredità, the Rai 1 quiz show: five clues, one word. Cruciverba Lab, the independent Italian puzzle site run by Didap SRLS, publishes its own version once a day, the same for all players.

The pairs arrive one at a time (for example SEGUIRE or PRECEDERE). You choose the word you think links to the hidden answer; the right word is then shown even if you chose wrong, so you always end with the five correct clues. Then you type your solution and get three tries rather than the single shot of the TV show. Links are idioms, compound words and fixed expressions (corsa contro il tempo, colpo di fulmine, piede di porco), never mere similarity of meaning, and after the game each of the five links is explained.

Each right choice earns points, and the sooner you find the final word the more the solution is worth; points go on the site leaderboard with Chiave, Cruciverba and the other games. If you miss all three tries the answer appears and you keep the points from your choices. The next Ghigliottina arrives at midnight Italian time, and past days can be replayed in the Raccolta (the last three with a free account, all of them with Premium) without leaderboard points.

It suits Italian speakers who know their idioms and fans of the TV game.

How to play Ghigliottina (Cruciverba Lab)

1. For each of the five pairs, choose the word you think links to the hidden word.
2. The right word is revealed after each pair, so you end with five correct clues.
3. Type the single word that links all five; you have three tries.
4. Earn points for right choices and an early solution, then read the explanations.

Tips

• Think of idioms and compound words rather than synonyms.
• Try each candidate answer against all five clues before submitting.
• The first clue can be misleading; wait for a few before forming a theory.
• Replay recent days in the Raccolta to get used to the kinds of links.

Questions