protect backslash before space

[Ray Andrews <rayandrews@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

    #!/usr/bin/zsh
      
      alias test='noglob _test'
      function _test ()
      {
          # .... lines of code
          eval echo $@
          # ... lines of code
      }
      ls -- $@
      
      run, testing on file 'junk junk':
      
      5 /aWorking/Zsh/Source/Wk 3 % . test junk* && test junk* 
        
      'junk junk'
      junk junk
      
      5 /aWorking/Zsh/Source/Wk 3 % . test junk\ * && test
      'junk\ *'
      'junk junk'
      junk junk
      
      --------------------------
      
      I like my functions to be able to see their own tail.  This is one
      of the first brick walls I threw myself against when I first
      started using zsh and I understand that it's asking the shell not
      to do what it's designed to do.  Anyway, it turned out that
      'noglob' came close, and then 'eval' to make the glob expansion
      when the time came.  Works well, except for the backslash before a
      space.  'noglob' does not protect it.  I can work around it by
      simply quoting as I've done in the second run above.  But is there
      a better way?  Reason I bring it up is that I was wondering if
      that recent cool stuff that Eric Wybouw was doing that boiled down
      to:
      
    BUFFER="= ${(q-)${${BUFFER#=}# }}"
    
    ... might point to a solution: some way of 'auto quoting' so that
    I'd not have to manually add the quotes as above.  Or some other way
    of preserving the backslash.  
    
      BTW, question: why does the script version above add the single
      quotes to indicate a single filename whereas the 'eval'ed version
      doesn't see the need?  I'd vaguely expect the single quotes in
      both.