18-letter words containing a, d, v, e
- definitive plumage — the plumage of a bird that, once attained, does not change significantly in color or pattern for the rest of the bird's life.
- delmarva peninsula — a peninsula of the northeast US, between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic
- dependent variable — a variable in a mathematical equation or statement whose value depends on that taken on by the independent variable
- descriptive clause — a relative clause that describes or supplements but is not essential in establishing the identity of the antecedent and is usually set off by commas in English. In This year, which has been dry, is bad for crops the clause which has been dry is a nonrestrictive clause.
- detective sergeant — a police officer who investigates crime and who ranks above a detective constable but below a detective inspector
- devil's paintbrush — a perennial European hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) with leafless flower stalks bearing a cluster of orange-red heads: now a common weed in N U.S. and Canada
- digital switchover — the process of changing the method of transmitting television from analogue to digital format
- digital television — a television broadcasting technology in which signals are transmitted as a sequence of binary numbers.
- digital video disc — Digital Versatile Disc
- diphtheria vaccine — a vaccine used to produce immunity against diphtheria
- diplomatic service — diplomatic corps
- distracted driving — driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving: Bans on cell phone use in cars will help to reduce the dangers of distracted driving.
- divine inspiration — insight provided by higher power
- do not give a hoot — If you say that you don't give a hoot or don't care two hoots about something, you are emphasizing that you do not care at all about it.
- domain name server — (spelling) Domain Name System.
- domenico veneziano — died 1461, Italian painter, noted for the St Lucy Altarpiece
- double achievement — a representation of the arms of a husband beside those of his wife such that a difference of rank between them is shown.
- dragline excavator — a power shovel that operates by being dragged by cables at the end of an arm or jib: used for quarrying, opencast mining, etc
- driver's education — high-school driving classes
- each and every one — all
- earned run average — a measure of the effectiveness of a pitcher, obtained by dividing the number of earned runs scored against the pitcher by the number of innings pitched and multiplying the result by nine. A pitcher yielding three earned runs in nine innings has an earned run average of 3.00. Abbreviation: ERA, era.
- eau de vie de marc — marc (def 2).
- electrovalent bond — a type of chemical bond in which one atom loses an electron to form a positive ion and the other atom gains the electron to form a negative ion. The resulting ions are held together by electrostatic attraction
- every now and then — from time to time; occasionally
- federal government — pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states, as in federal government; federal system.
- forgive and forget — be reconciled
- fuel-saving device — a device that increases the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, so that it uses less fuel for a further distance
- give one's hand on — the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb.
- give sb their head — If you give someone their head, you allow them to do what they want to do, without trying to advise or stop them.
- grand traverse bay — an inlet of Lake Michigan on the NW of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
- have (got) it made — to be assured of success
- have a hand in sth — If you have a hand in something such as an event or activity, you are involved in it.
- have got to do sth — You use have got to when you are saying that something is necessary or must happen in the way stated. In informal American English, the 'have' is sometimes omitted.
- have words with sb — If one person has words with another, or if two or more people have words, they have a serious discussion or argument, especially because one has complained about the other's behaviour.
- have/be to do with — If you say that one thing has something to do with or is something to do with another thing, you mean that the two things are connected or that the first thing is about the second thing.
- heavy middleweight — a professional wrestler weighing 177–187 pounds (81–85 kg)
- hemidemisemiquaver — a sixty-fourth note.
- hit-and-run driver — sb: leaves accident scene
- hold a reservation — If a hotel holds a reservation, it keeps a room for someone, and does not give it to someone else.
- homelands movement — the programme to resettle native Australians on their tribal lands
- in inverted commas — If you say in inverted commas after a word or phrase, you are indicating that it is inaccurate or unacceptable in some way, or that you are quoting someone else.
- indecent behaviour — the offence of committing indecent acts
- indentured servant — a person who came to America and was placed under contract to work for another over a period of time, usually seven years, especially during the 17th to 19th centuries. Generally, indentured servants included redemptioners, victims of religious or political persecution, persons kidnapped for the purpose, convicts, and paupers.
- individual liberty — the liberty of an individual to exercise freely those rights generally accepted as being outside of governmental control.
- inductive relation — A relation R between domains D and E is inductive if for all chains d1 .. dn in D and e1 .. en in E,
- industrial vehicle — a vehicle designed for use in industry
- invalidity benefit — (formerly, in the British National Insurance scheme) a weekly payment to a person who had been off work through illness for more than six months: replaced by incapacity benefit in 1995
- james baird weaver — James Baird, 1833–1912, U.S. politician: congressman 1879–81, 1885–89.
- labrador retriever — one of a breed of retrievers having a short, thick, oily, solid black or yellow coat, raised originally in Newfoundland.
- limiting adjective — (in English and some other languages) one of a small group of adjectives that modify the nouns to which they are applied by restricting rather than describing or qualifying. This, some, and certain are limiting adjectives.