Are You Feeling Wordwise Tonight? Quiz

Answer: Drop in the Ocean

The word "drop" in the middle of the words "the ocean" gives the phrase "drop in the ocean". This means something that is insignificant in the greater scheme of things. For example, when combating climate change, me turning down my central heating by a notch is a "drop in the ocean" compared to China's unrestrained burning of fossil fuels.

Answer: Doctor On Call

The word "Doctor" above the word "call" gives the phrase "Doctor on call". This refers either to a doctor who is available to provide immediate advice to patients, or one who is visiting the home of a patient. Doctors sometimes have a card with the words "Doctor on call" to put in their windscreen if they are parked in a private space, for example.

Answer: Leg Before Wicket

The word "Leg" written in front of "Wicket" gives the cricketing term "Leg Before Wicket". Often abbreviated as "LBW", the term refers to a way in which a batsman can be dismissed. Broadly speaking, a batsman is out LBW if the ball hits a part of their body, such as the leg, in such a way as to prevent the ball hitting the wicket, which would have led to their dismissal. Making the judgement about a correct LBW dismissal is one of the trickiest tasks undertaken by umpires.

Answer: Walking on Broken Glass

The word "walking" written over an anagram of the word "glass" gives the title of the 1992 song by Annie Lennox entitled "Walking on Broken Glass". The title itself refers to an idiomatic phrase meaning to take great pains, either to achieve an aim, or to avoid something unpleasant. Please note - to date, Ms Lennox has not recorded a song entitled "Walking On Slags", and it seems unlikely that she will ever do so.

Answer: Eton mess

The word or name "Eton" is scrambled or messed up, signifying the popular English pudding known as "Eton Mess". It traditionally consists of a mixture of summer fruits (such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) with whipped cream and broken pieces of meringue, all mixed together in a "mess".

It is traditionally believed to have been created at the English public school Eton College, with the first written reference dating from 1893.

Answer: Living in sin

The word "living" in the middle of the word "sin" gives the somewhat archaic phrase "living in sin", referring to two people cohabiting without being married. "Did you hear about the new vicar? He's living in sin with the woman who plays the organ? Eee, it's disgusting, I call it."

Answer: Pratts Bottom

The stars indicate the bottom one of a column of Pratts, signifying the village name Pratts Bottom, which can be found in the historic county of Kent (although now just within the boundary of Greater London).

John Field, in his 1980 book "Place Names of Greater London", notes that the name comes from the local Prat (sic) family, whose name is recorded in a local document of 1322. "Bottom" indicates that the Prat family occupied land in the valley bottom.

Answer: Up periscope

The word "periscope" written upwards gives the phrase "up periscope", a phrase traditionally used by submarine captains when they want to see what is happening on the sea's surface. It is also the title of a 1959 submarine-based film starring James Garner.

Answer: Feeling under the weather

The word "feeling" written beneath the words "the weather" gives the phrase "feeling under the weather", a popular idiom used when one is not in tip-top health. For example, I'm feeling under the weather this morning, probably because I drank ten pints of beer last night and then had a kebab on the way home.

Answer: Please Look After This Bear

The words "Please Look" written after "This Bear" give the phrase "Please Look After This Bear", which as children everywhere know is the phrase written on the label around Paddington Bear's neck when the Brown family find him at Paddington Station. It is also the title of the first story in the first Paddington book, "A Bear Called Paddington", written by Michael Bond and first published in 1958.