Lexical Cabinet: Quickfire, a Blacklight Casebook

About Lexical Cabinet: Quickfire

A detective's notebook, written in code, open on a desk in a dark room with an ultraviolet lamp. Each page is a case: a chain of five clues in glowing ink. The first clue stands alone. After that, the answer you just gave is carried into the next clue: GOLD + ___, a word read backwards, one letter changed. Every right answer decodes more of the case file's name from cipher into plain letters.

The lamp's charge is your time. It starts with seventy-five seconds, a right answer adds five, a slip takes four. Glue the ransom-note cut-outs onto the line or just type. Answer inside three seconds for a hot lead, and string five together to light the blacklight: every hidden footprint on the page glows and the next three answers count double. Crack a case and a sweep of ultraviolet burns its cipher away.

A practice switch turns the clock off at no cost, with hints, scored apart. Today's casebook is the same for everyone in the daily game. A round takes about four minutes. Your records stay on this device only.

How to play

Press Open the first case. The lamp starts with its charge as soon as the first clue appears.
Read the clue, then tap the cut-out letters in order, or type the answer. Tap a glued letter or press Backspace to peel it off.
The answer is checked when every box is full. A slip costs four seconds; a second slip shows the answer and carries it on.
The word before the next clue is the answer you just gave: GOLD + ___ means a word that follows GOLD.
Answer fast and in a row for the most points. Five in a row lights the blacklight. Skip with 2 or Ⓨ at a cost of six seconds.
Practice turns the clock off and allows hints (1 or Ⓧ). Press Escape or Start to pause; the lamp stops too.

Controls

Tap the cut-out letters, or type — glue the answer
Backspace, Ⓑ or tap a glued letter — peel one off
Arrow keys or D-pad, Space or Ⓐ — move along the cut-outs and glue one
1 or Ⓧ — margin note (practice); 2 or Ⓨ — skip
Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

Does the lamp run while I pause?

No. The lamp’s charge is game time: it stops when you pause, open the settings or leave the tab.

How do the points work?

A hundred for each right answer times the link bonus (a quarter more for each link held, up to 2.5 times), times 1.5 for a hot lead inside three seconds or 1.2 inside six, plus a streak bonus. Under the blacklight an answer counts double. A cracked case adds a hundred and the seconds left in the lamp.

What happens to a slip?

The lamp loses four seconds and your streak restarts. A second slip on the same clue shows the answer, which is carried into the next clue, so a chain can always go on.

Is it a general-knowledge quiz?

No. Every clue is about words: meanings, joins, backwards words and changed letters, written for this casebook.