splice

Everyday

1. To splice two ropes or wires means to join their ends together firmly, often by weaving the strands into each other. tree →
2. To splice film, tape or video means to join two pieces so they play one after the other. tree →
3. In science, to splice genes means to cut and join pieces of DNA. tree →
4. (noun) A splice is the place where two things have been joined. tree →
5. (UK, informal) «Get spliced» means to get married. tree →

In the lessons

In science, «gene splicing» is part of how scientists change living things. In sailing and scouting, splicing rope is a useful skill. In film-making lessons, clips are spliced together to make a story. Phrases: «splice together», «splice in», «gene splicing», «get spliced» (old slang for marry).

Examples

• The sailor spliced the two ropes so they would not slip apart. tree →
• We spliced our video clips together to make the class film. tree →
• The electrician spliced the broken wires. tree →
• Scientists can splice a gene from one plant into another. tree →
• You can hardly see the splice in the rope. tree →
• Grandad joked that he and Gran got spliced fifty years ago. tree →
• The editor spliced in a funny clip at the end. tree →

Note

Regular verb: spliced, splicing (drop the «e» before «-ing»). «Splice» joins things; do not confuse it with «slice», which cuts them apart. «Get spliced» is jokey, old-fashioned talk.