23-letter words containing a, c, s, e

to call someone's bluff — If you call someone's bluff, you tell them to do what they have been threatening to do, because you are sure that they will not really do it.
to change for the worse — If a situation changes for the worse, it becomes more unpleasant or more difficult.
to clap eyes on someone — To clap eyes on someone or something, or set or lay eyes on them, means to see them.
to come to a sticky end — If someone comes to a sticky end or meets a sticky end, they suffer very badly or die in an unpleasant way.
to force someone's hand — If you force someone's hand, you force them to act sooner than they want to, or to act in public when they would prefer to keep their actions secret.
to get/put sb's back up — If someone or something puts your back up or gets your back up, they annoy you.
to keep a straight face — If you manage to keep a straight face, you manage to look serious, although you want to laugh.
to keep someone company — If you keep someone company, you spend time with them and stop them feeling lonely or bored.
to keep your nose clean — If you keep your nose clean, you behave well and stay out of trouble.
to make your skin crawl — If something makes your skin crawl or makes your flesh crawl, it makes you feel shocked or disgusted.
to outstay your welcome — If you say that someone outstays their welcome or overstays their welcome, you mean that they stay somewhere longer than they are wanted or expected to.
to rise to the occasion — If you say that someone rose to the occasion, you mean that they did what was necessary to successfully overcome a difficult situation.
to save someone's bacon — If someone or something saves your bacon, they get you out of a dangerous or difficult situation.
to send someone packing — If you send someone packing, you make them go away.
to wipe the slate clean — If you wipe the slate clean, you decide to forget previous mistakes, failures, or debts and to start again.
to your heart's content — as much as you please
transcendental analytic — (in transcendental logic) the study of the means by which the mind categorizes data from the sensory manifold.
transcendental argument — an argument designed to make explicit the conditions under which a certain kind of knowledge is possible, esp those of Kant
transcendental equation — an equation that involves transcendental functions.
transcendental function — a function that is not an algebraic function.
transcendental idealism — the Kantian doctrine that reality consists not of appearances, but of some other order of being whose existence can be inferred from the nature of human reason
transfer characteristic — the relationship between output and input of an electronic or electromechanical system, esp as depicted graphically
trellis code modulation — (TCM) A modulation technique with hardware error detection and correction.
trigonal trisoctahedron — a trisoctahedron whose faces are triangles.
turn a cold shoulder to — to treat with disdain; snub
twenty-second amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1951, limiting presidential terms to two for any one person, or to one elected term if the person has completed more than two years of another's term.
twin-lens reflex camera — a camera in which the image appears on a ground-glass viewer (focusing screen) after being reflected by a mirror or after passing through a prism or semitransparent glass; in one type (single-lens reflex camera) light passes through the same lens to both the ground glass and the film, while in another type (twin-lens reflex camera) light passes through one lens (viewing lens) to the ground glass and through a second lens (taking lens) to the film, the lenses being mechanically coupled for focusing.
unconditional discharge — the release of a defendant without having to spend time on parole or probation
unconstitutional strike — a stoppage of work which violates the dispute procedure agreed between the employer and the trade union or trade unions concerned
under the circumstances — a condition, detail, part, or attribute, with respect to time, place, manner,agent, etc., that accompanies, determines, or modifies a fact or event; a modifying or influencing factor: Do not judge his behavior without considering every circumstance.
unincorporated business — a privately owned business, often owned by one person who has unlimited liability as the business is not legally registered as a company
unipress software, inc. — (company) A developer and distributor of Unix software. They produce PC-UNIX connectivity software, development tools and applications and provide technical support and maintenance, porting services, training and consulting.
united states air force — the permanent or regular military air force of the United States, established in 1947 as a separate service under the authority of the Department of Defense: a branch of the U.S. Army before 1947. Abbreviation: USAF.
universal character set — (character, standard) (UCS, ISO/IEC 10646) A 1993 ISO and IEC standard character set, also known as "Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set". UCS comes in a 16-bit variant called UCS-2 and a 32-bit variant called UCS-4, which is composed of 16-bit UCS-2 "planes". So far only one 16-bit plane has been defined, which is known as the Basic Multilingual Plane. The implementation of UCS is still in its infancy, though some moves, such as the Java language defining a character to be 16 bits, are suggestive.
urban conservation area — an urban area that is protected, preserved and carefully managed
user interface language — (language, graphics) (UIL) A language for specifying widget hierarchies etc. in OSF/Motif and DECwindows.
variable contrast paper — printing paper in which the contrast of the image is controlled by the color of the printing light.
variable life insurance — an insurance policy whose annuity payments or payment to the beneficiary are not fixed but depend on the income earned by the investment of the premiums.
vestibulocochlear nerve — either one of the eight pairs of cranial nerves that supply the cochlea and semicircular canals of the internal ear and contribute to the sense of hearing
video cassette recorder — See VCR.
viscount horatio nelson — Viscount Horatio, 1758–1805, British admiral.
volumetric displacement — the volume of air per revolution that passes through a mechanical pump when the pressure at the intake and the exhaust is the same as that of the atmosphere
voter registration card — a card that enables a person to register in order to vote
war manpower commission — the board (1942–45) that regulated the most efficient use of labor during World War II. Abbreviation: WMC.
water off a duck's back — any of numerous wild or domesticated web-footed swimming birds of the family Anatidae, especially of the genus Anas and allied genera, characterized by abroad, flat bill, short legs, and depressed body.
what makes someone tick — the basic drive or motivation of a person
when the chips are down — a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.
white-coat hypertension — the phenomenon of having elevated blood pressure only during a medical consultation

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