Another Wordwise from Minch Trivia Quiz

Answer: split ends

The letters of the word ENDS have been separated, or split apart, suggesting split ends.

This phrase commonly refers to damage occurring to the tips (ends) of long hair due to wear and tear. This gives the tips a frizzy look. Beauty products may promise to fix them and restore sleek hair ends, but the recommended procedure is simply to have them trimmed off.

Answer: just between you and me

The word JUST has been written in between the words YOU and ME, depicting something that is just between you and me.

This phrase is used to indicate that the information about to be imparted is confidential, not to be divulged to anyone else.

Answer: keep in touch

The word KEEP has been written inside of letters that form the word TOUCH, so you might say that you see an instruction to keep in touch.

This phrase is usually used when someone is about to be separated from another person or group, possibly for a long time. It suggests that the declarer wants to maintain the relationship, even across a distance, so is encouraging future communication between the parties.

Answer: out on a limb

The word OUT is written above, or on top of, the words A LIMB; putting them together gives out on a limb.

This phrase describes a precarious situation, from which one will have difficulty reaching safety. It evokes the image of climbing a tree and proceeding outwards along a branch on hands and knees, only to find that neither progress nor retreat is easy. Perhaps the branch is sagging, and certainly it is not easy to work one's way backwards from that position! Of course, it is usually used figuratively rather than literally. One who is out on a limb finds themselves without the support they may have expected.

Answer: back burner

The letters of the word BURNER have been written backwards, so here we have a back burner.

In old wood-fired stoves, the heat varies across the surface of the stove. Pots and pans on the front burner were in the hotter part, and needed active attention from the cook. Those that had been pushed to the back or sides were in a cooler position, and needed less attention. Hence, something that has been put on the back burner is being ignored for the time being, because it is not urgent.

Answer: beeline

The letter B has been written multiple times, forming a line. This could be described as a beeline, or it could illustrate the action of being in a line.

One is said to make a beeline for a destination if traveling in the most direct route possible, and with determined focus on arriving at the destination. It is a reference to the idea that a bee which has located a good source of nectar and/or pollen returns as quickly as possible to the hive with the news.

To be in line means that one is waiting for something to happen. This might be a literal line, such as at the checkout of a store, or a figurative, as in waiting for a promotion in a job.

Answer: gross injustice

The number 144 is called a gross, so here a gross has been placed in the middle of the letters of the word JUSTICE, giving us a gross injustice.

The word gross has a number of meanings, but the one used here is as a description of something that is clearly and definitely unacceptable. A gross injustice is not just slightly unfair, it is a perversion of the principles underlying the very concept of justice.

Answer: double exposure

The word EXPOSURE has been written twice, so it has been doubled, and we have a double exposure.

Cameras in which images are formed when light contacts the chemicals on a roll of film can (could?) sometimes have the same portion of film exposed to two different images, which then get superimposed to form a composite image from the double exposure. This may be either accidental or intentional. I am not sure whether digital cameras allow one to do this; certainly my phone camera doesn't!

Answer: odd numbers

Numbers which cannot be divided by two are called odd numbers, and these are some.

A person may be described as an odd number, or an odd body, if they are perceived as not fitting into the social norms around them.

When something surprising is accomplished, it may be said to have been done against all odds.

Answer: broken sleep

The letters of the word SLEEP have been split apart, or broken, giving us broken sleep.

When one is awakened from sleep, and does not get the expected amount of uninterrupted sleep, they had a broken sleep. This might be caused by an external event such as a baby crying or it may be caused by some internal issue (such as stress from work or relationships) that means one actually wakes up when the sleep cycle reaches light sleep, rather than staying there for a while before moving back to a deeper stage of sleep.