Wordwise Ways to Find a Phrase Quiz

Answer: stuck in traffic

In the Wordwise clue, the word "traffic" has been split into two parts. The word "stuck" is jammed between these two parts to form the expression "stuck in traffic".

To be stuck in traffic means that you are delayed because your vehicle is one of a long queue of slow-moving vehicles on the road. This is called a traffic jam. It could be even worse. The queue of traffic might be unable to move at all. This could happen during holiday times when large numbers of people are trying to drive to a popular holiday destination, and they are being held up by inadequate passport controls, or by an accident, or road works ahead.

Answer: slip under the radar

In the Wordwise clue, the word "slip" is on the line that is below the word "radar". This gives us our phrases "slip under the radar" and "slip below the radar".

To slip under the radar means that someone or something goes unnoticed, especially if it's for a long time. One example of using this idiom might be, "John has been claiming the wrong money for years and we've only just found out. We've got to make sure cases like this don't slip under the radar in future".

This idiom came from how fighter aircraft would be flown to avoid radar detection by flying closer to the ground.

Answer: trial by fire

In the Wordwise clue, the words "trial and "fire" are close to one another, separated only by one underscore symbol. The word "by" can mean "next to" so here we see the word "trial" next to the word "fire". "By" can also be used to identify the agent that performs the action, i.e. "by fire". This is how we get to the expression "trial by fire".

A trial by fire is an ordeal in which your abilities to perform in a difficult situation are tested, such as being put under undue pressure.

In Europe, mainly in the early Middle Ages, a trial by fire was one of the trials by ordeal used to determine the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a crime. They might be required to walk a certain distance over red-hot ploughshares or walk a certain distance carrying a red-hot iron. If they were still injured after three days, they would be pronounced guilty. If they were healed after three days, they would be pronounced innocent.

Answer: inside job

In the Wordwise clue, the word "job" has been split into two parts. The word "inside" is jammed inside these two parts. This forms the expression "inside job".

An inside job is a crime committed by someone who has a personal involvement with the victim, such as a person, group of people, or organisation. Usually, they are employed by the victim or have access to the victim's personal information.

Answer: a finger in many pies

In the Wordwise clue, the words "a" and "finger" stand on their own in the middle. They are surrounded by the word "pie" repeated many times giving us "many pies" or "every pie". This forms the expressions "a finger in many pies" or "a finger in every pie".

To have a finger in many pies, or a finger in every pie means to be involved in many different activities or things, sometimes in too many activities. The expression "having a finger in the pie" originated from people going into the kitchen and literally sticking one of their fingers into a pie to see what it tasted like.

Answer: ship underway

In the Wordwise clue, the word "ship" is on the line that is below the word "way". This gives us our phrases "ship under way" and "ship underway".

As you probably guessed or knew, "ship underway" is a nautical expression. It means that the ship is moving, or can move, through the water. In this case, the rudder of the vessel has sufficient water covering it so that it now has steerage way and is able to respond to the helm.

If a ship is no longer secured to land, or not at anchor, it (or she) can also be said to be underway.

According to various sources online, the variant spelling of "ship under weigh" arose from its association with the phrase "to weigh anchor". The words "way" and "weigh" are homophones, so at some time in the past, they got mixed up. "To weigh" is to hoist the anchor so that the ship can get underway.

Answer: every minute counts

In the Wordwise clue, the word "minute" is used more than once to represent every "minute" that we can see here. The numbers 1 to 5 are in the right order so they can be used to represent the act of counting. This brings us to the expression "Every minute counts".

The expression "every minute counts" is used to show how time is valuable and should not be wasted. An example of its use might be, "Hurry up with that job. Don't waste time. Every minute counts".

Answer: a long time

In the Wordwise clue, the word "time" is stretched out using a long line of underscore symbols between each letter. The use of the letter "a" is the indefinite article. This gives us the expressions "a long time" and "a stretch of time".

A stretch of time can refer to any period of time, usually quite long. It is often used to describe how much time someone has spent in prison, such as, "he did a stretch of time in prison", or "he is doing a stretch of time in prison".

A long time is an extensive period of time. If you are in an unpleasant situation, it can seem like a long time even if it isn't.

Answer: down for the count

In the Wordwise clue, the numbers 1 to 10 go down in the order in which they would be counted. This gives us the expression "down for the count".

The boxing expression "down for the count" means that one of the boxers has been knocked down to the canvas. He/she has to stand up and be ready to continue with the fight within the time it takes for the referee to count up to ten. If the boxer is unable to get up again, they are said to be down for the count.

This has led to other meanings for "down for the count". It means having failed in some task or operation or being defeated in some other way. It can be used to describe someone who cannot function normally because of an illness.

Answer: stretching the truth

In the Wordwise clue, the eight letters in the words "the truth" have been separated and stretched out from their neighbouring letters using lines of underscore symbols. This gives us the expressions "stretching the truth" and "stretch the truth".

"Stretching the truth" means that the truth has been embellished with some lies. Maybe the person doing this wants to make themselves seem better to the listener than they are. Maybe the person stretching the truth doesn't want to tell the blunt truth for fear that it hurts the listener's feelings.