13-letter words containing a, c, r, u
- band spectrum — a spectrum consisting of a number of bands of closely spaced lines that are associated with emission or absorption of radiation by molecules
- barcoo salute — a movement of the hand to brush flies away from the face
- barrel cactus — any of several large, cylindrical, ribbed, spiny cacti of the genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus.
- bathtub curve — Common term for the curve (resembling an end-to-end section of one of those claw-footed antique bathtubs) that describes the expected failure rate of electronics with time: initially high, dropping to near 0 for most of the system's lifetime, then rising again as it "tires out". See also burn-in period, infant mortality.
- battlecruiser — A large warship of a type built in the early 20th century, carrying similar armament to a battleship but faster and more lightly armored.
- bearer cheque — a cheque payable to the person who has it
- bell purchase — a tackle consisting of two standing single blocks, two running single blocks, a fall, and a runner, so arranged that it gives a mechanical advantage of six, neglecting friction.
- biculturalism — the characteristics, or policy, of a two-cultured society
- bimolecularly — in a bimolecular fashion
- birectangular — having two right angles.
- biscuit bread — biscuits or a biscuit: I like biscuit bread more than corn bread for supper.
- black country — a district in the English Midlands, around Birmingham: so called from the soot and grime produced by the many local industries.
- black currant — the small, round, blackish, edible fruit of a widely cultivated shrub, Ribes nigrum, of the saxifrage family.
- black mustard — a Eurasian plant, Brassica (or Sinapsis) nigra, with clusters of yellow flowers and pungent seeds from which the condiment mustard is made: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- black quarter — blackleg (def 1).
- black russian — a drink made from one part coffee liqueur and two parts vodka, served over ice.
- black vulture — the Eurasian vulture, Aegypius monachus, of the family Accipitridae
- blame culture — the tendency to look for one person or organization that can be held responsible for a bad state of affairs, an accident, etc
- blast furnace — A blast furnace is a large structure in which iron ore is heated under pressure so that it melts and the pure iron metal separates out and can be collected.
- blue copperas — a salt, copper sulfate, CuSO 4 ⋅5H 2 O, occurring naturally as large transparent, deep-blue triclinic crystals, appearing in its anhydrous state as a white powder: used chiefly as a mordant, insecticide, fungicide, and in engraving.
- boraginaceous — of, relating to, or belonging to the Boraginaceae, a family of temperate and tropical typically hairy-leaved flowering plants that includes forget-me-not, lungwort, borage, comfrey, and heliotrope
- bounce around — to spring back from a surface in a lively manner: The ball bounced off the wall.
- boundary scan — The use of scan registers to capture state from device input and output pins. IEEE Standard 1149.1-1990 describes the international standard implementation (sometimes called JTAG after the Joint Test Action Group which began the standardisation work).
- brachiosaurus — a dinosaur of the genus Brachiosaurus, up to 30 metres long: the largest land animal ever known
- brachypterous — having very short or incompletely developed wings
- braggadocious — boastful
- brassicaceous — belonging to the plant family Brassicaceae, an alternative name for the plant family Cruciferae.
- brilliant cut — a cut for gems
- brilliant-cut — a cut intended to enhance the brilliance of a gem with the least possible sacrifice of weight, characterized by a form resembling two pyramids set base to base, truncated so as to give a broad table and a very small culet, and having from 18 to 104 facets, 58 being typical.
- brussels lace — a fine lace with a raised or appliqué design
- buccaneerings — the characteristic actions of a buccaneer
- buck sergeant — a newly promoted sergeant
- bucket ladder — a series of buckets that move in a continuous chain, used to dredge riverbeds, etc, or to excavate land
- bullace grape — the thick-skinned musk-scented purple grape produced by this plant: used to make wine
- buoyant force — the law that a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force (buoyant force) equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
- bureaucratese — wordy, jargon-filled, overcomplicated language considered typical of bureaucrats
- bureaucratism — an official of a bureaucracy.
- bureaucratist — a believer in bureaucracy
- bureaucratize — to administer by or transform into a bureaucracy
- burnham scale — the salary scale for teachers in English state schools, which is revised periodically
- business card — A person's business card or their card is a small card which they give to other people, and which has their name and details of their job and company printed on it.
- buster collar — a round collar, similar to a lampshade in shape, that is fitted round the neck of an animal or bird, for example to prevent it removing or interfering with a dressing or other treatment
- butch haircut — a short haircut for men, similar to a crew cut.
- butcher paper — heavy, moisture-resistant paper, as used for wrapping meat.
- butcher's saw — a type of hacksaw used especially by butchers for cutting through meat and bones.
- cab rank rule — the rule that obliges barristers to take on any client in strict rotation
- cabin cruiser — A cabin cruiser is a motor boat which has a cabin for people to live or sleep in.
- cacodyl group — the univalent group (CH 3) 2 As−, derived from arsine.
- cadmium green — a pigment used in painting, consisting of a mixture of hydrated oxide of chromium with cadmium sulfide, and characterized by its strong green color and slow drying rate.
- cafe curtains — short, straight curtains, esp. for covering the lower part of a window, hung from a rod by means of sliding rings