Wordwise Puzzler No. 7 Trivia Quiz

Answer: A storm in a teacup

A storm in a teacup is an expression that means a great fuss has been kicked up over a matter that is essentially trivial in nature. An outrageous argument over squeezing a toothpaste tube from the middle instead of from the bottom is an example of this term.

Answer: The upper crust

The upper crust is a term related to class structures within some societies. Those who comprise it are the wealthiest, and therefore, the most influential members of that society.

Answer: A turn of phrase

A turn of phrase is a distinctive or unusual way of expression something. Our common idioms and proverbs could be said to be such. We use them to sum up succinctly a given idea or statement instead of expressing that idea in a longer more detailed form. "Thumbs up" means that everything is in perfect working order, for example.

Answer: Two peas in a pod

Two peas in a pod means that two things, people, structures and so on are identical in every way. Identical twins are said to be as alike as two peas in a pod.

Answer: The Big Apple

"The Big Apple" is a nickname for the city of New York in the United States of America. This saying was made popular in the 1920s by a sportswriter named John J. FitzGerald. He based it on the earliest record of same which appears in a 1909 book "The Wayfarer in New York" by Edward S. Martin.

In this work, Martin states that "Kansas is apt to see in New York a greedy city .... It inclines to think that the big apple gets a disproportionate share of the national sap".

Answer: Upside down

If anything is upside down, it has been stood on its head instead of appearing the right way up. This term is self-explanatory.

Answer: The last straw

The last straw is the final action in a series of otherwise minor incidents that has finally resulted in a huge argument or uproar about something. In itself it is rather insignificant, but its cumulative effect has just gone too far. A very naughty child for example, on carrying out one last perhaps minor piece of mischief after a full day of creating mischief, could be finally sent to his or her room by an irate parent who has tolerated the misbehaviour up until that point.

Answer: The elephant in the room

The elephant in the room is a metaphor for something that is commonly known, but is never discussed or dealt with. Nobody wants to bring it up or handle it, so it is there, like a boil about to pop, but totally ignored. This expression has been around since 1814 when it was first recorded in the work "The Inquisitive Man" by the Russian, Ivan Andreevich Krylov.

Answer: The third degree

If someone has been given the third degree over something, he or she has been grilled unmercifully by an "authority figure" to find out all the in and outs of a matter. A husband very late home from work could be given the third degree by his highly annoyed wife as to his whereabouts, when she had dinner waiting on the table for him.

Answer: Up the duff

To be up the duff is, quite simply, to be pregnant. This is a rather common and vulgar expression that is, more often than not, applied to young unmarried women. It has been in use, in Australia at any rate, since 1941, when it appeared in Sydney John Baker's "Dictionary of Australian Slang".