20-letter words containing a, b, o

standard book number — International Standard Book Number. Abbreviation: SBN.
stefan-boltzmann law — the law stating that the total energy radiated from a blackbody is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature.
step into the breach — If you step into the breach, you do a job or task which someone else was supposed to do or has done in the past, because they are suddenly unable to do it.
straight-cut tobacco — tobacco that is cut in such a way that it will lie flat.
subpoena duces tecum — a writ directing a person to appear in court and to bring some document described in the writ.
subscription library — a commercial lending library
switchboard operator — a person who operates an installation in a telephone exchange, office, hotel, etc, at which the interconnection of telephone lines is manually controlled
tchebycheff equation — a differential equation of the form (1 − x 2) d 2 y/dx 2 − x dy/dx + n 2 y = 0, where n is any nonnegative integer.
television broadcast — sth shown on tv
tetrahydrocannabinol — a compound, C 21 H 30 O 2 , that is the physiologically active component in cannabis preparations (marijuana, hashish, etc.) derived from the Indian hemp plant or produced synthetically. Abbreviation: THC.
the (whole) ballgame — the main or decisive factor, event, etc.
the beautiful people — rich, fashionable people in international high society
therapeutic abortion — abortion performed when a woman's pregnancy endangers her health.
to be a one-man show — to be reliant on one person alone
to be a warning shot — to be a warning
to be at loggerheads — to be in conflict
to be walking on air — If you say that you are walking on air or floating on air, you mean that you feel extremely happy about something.
to bear the brunt of — To bear the brunt or take the brunt of something unpleasant means to suffer the main part or force of it.
to beat one's breast — If you say that someone beats their breast, you are emphasizing that they are very angry or upset about something, or that they are pretending to be very angry or upset about it.
to blow hot and cold — If someone blows hot and cold, they keep changing their attitude towards something, sometimes being very enthusiastic and at other times expressing no interest at all.
to bring up the rear — If a person or vehicle is bringing up the rear, they are the last person or vehicle in a moving line of them.
to burst into flames — If something bursts into flames or bursts into flame, it suddenly starts burning strongly.
to catch your breath — If something makes you catch your breath, it makes you take a short breath of air, usually because it shocks you.
to disturb the peace — If someone is accused of disturbing the peace, they are accused of behaving in a noisy and offensive way in public.
to get off sb's back — If you tell someone to get off your back, you are telling them angrily to stop criticizing you or putting pressure on you.
to get your bearings — to find out where one is or to find out what one should do next
to get your own back — If you get your own back on someone, you have your revenge on them because of something bad that they have done to you.
to have it in for sb — If someone has it in for you, they do not like you and they want to make life difficult for you.
to keep your balance — If you keep your balance, for example, when standing in a moving vehicle, you remain steady and do not fall over. If you lose your balance, you become unsteady and fall over.
to push the boat out — If you push the boat out, you spend a lot of money on something, especially in order to celebrate.
to put it to sb that — If you put it to someone that something is true, you suggest that it is true, especially when you think that they will be unwilling to admit this.
to sb's disadvantage — If something is to your disadvantage or works to your disadvantage, it creates difficulties for you.
to scrape the barrel — If you say that someone is scraping the barrel, or scraping the bottom of the barrel, you disapprove of the fact that they are using or doing something of extremely poor quality.
to take years off sb — if you say that something such as an experience or a way of dressing has taken years off someone, you mean that it has made them look or feel much younger
to waste your breath — If someone says you are wasting your breath, they mean that the person you are talking to will not take any notice and so there is no point saying anything to them.
tobacco mosaic virus — a retrovirus causing mosaic disease in members of the nightshade family. Abbreviation: TMV.
toothbrush moustache — a short narrow moustache, resembling the filaments of a toothbrush
tribromoacetaldehyde — bromal.
tropical disturbance — a very weak, or incipient, tropical cyclone.
upper income bracket — a grouping of the highest earning tax payers
vertical combination — the integration within one company of individual businesses working separately in related phases of the production and sale of a product.
voice over broadband — a transmission technique that enables a user to make and receive telephone calls over a broadband connection
walton and weybridge — a city in Surrey, SE England: a London suburb.
war of the rebellion — American Civil War.
war production board — the board (1942–45) that supervised and regulated the production and sale of matériel essential to the logistics of World War II. Abbreviation: WPB, W.P.B.
wardrobe malfunction — an embarrassing situation caused by the clothes a person is wearing
watch someone's back — the rear part of the human body, extending from the neck to the lower end of the spine.
webster's dictionary — Informal. a dictionary of the English language, especially American English, such as Dictionary.com.
white bush (scallop) — a variety of summer squash having a saucer-shaped white fruit, scalloped around the edges
wilson cloud chamber — cloud chamber.

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