12-letter words containing a, e, f
- refoundation — an act of refounding
- refractivity — the power to refract.
- refresh rate — (hardware) (Or "vertical refresh rate", "vertical scan rate") The maximum number of frames that can be displayed on a monitor in a second, expressed in Hertz. The scan rate is controlled by the vertical sync signal generated by the video controller, ordering the monitor to position the electron gun at the upper left corner of the raster, ready to paint another frame. It is limited by the monitor's maximum horizontal scan rate and the resolution, since higher resolution means more scan lines. Increasing the refresh rate decreases flickering, reducing eye strain, but few people notice any change above 60-72 Hz.
- refrigerated — made frozen or cold, esp for preservative purposes; chilled or frozen
- refrigerator — a box, room, or cabinet in which food, drink, etc., are kept cool by means of ice or mechanical refrigeration.
- refugee camp — a camp for sheltering and protecting people who have fled from some danger or problem, esp political persecution
- relief angle — The relief angle is the angle between a cutting tool and the workpiece it has just cut.
- relief valve — a device that, when actuated by static pressure above a predetermined level, opens in proportion to the excess above this level and reduces the pressure to it. Compare safety valve (def 1).
- reperforator — (especially in teletype transmission) a machine for punching a duplicate perforated paper tape of incoming messages so that they may later be retransmitted: used for automatic typesetting.
- road surface — the surface of the road, often asphalt
- roman a clef — a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.
- roman-fleuve — saga (def 3).
- roof terrace — a garden on the roof of a building
- rubber-faced — having a face with unusually mobile features: a rubber-faced comedian.
- run-of-paper — R.O.P.
- safe conduct — If you are given safe conduct, the authorities officially allow you to travel somewhere, guaranteeing that you will not be arrested or harmed while doing so.
- safe harbour — a place that offers protection from the weather, attack, etc
- safe passage — journey completed without danger
- safe surfing — the practice of using security measures to protect one's computer while surfing the internet
- safe-breaker — a person who breaks open and robs safes
- safe-conduct — a document authorizing safe passage through a region, especially in time of war.
- safe-deposit — providing safekeeping for valuables: a safe-deposit vault.
- safe-keeping — the act of keeping safe or the state of being kept safe; protection; care; custody.
- safecracking — the act of breaking into a safe
- safety blade — a blade, as on a knife, razor, etc, with a guard to reduce the risk of accidental cutting
- safety catch — a device used in mechanisms, as for elevators, to prevent falling in the event of mechanical failure.
- safety chain — a chain on the fastening of a bracelet, watch, etc, to ensure that it cannot open enough to fall off accidentally
- safety glass — a pane made by joining two plates or panes of glass with a layer of usually transparent plastic or artificial resin between them that retains the fragments if the glass is broken.
- safety match — a match designed to ignite only when rubbed on a specially prepared surface.
- safety razor — a razor with a guard to prevent the blade from cutting the skin.
- safety touch — a two-point play
- safety valve — a device that, when actuated by a gas or vapor pressure above a predetermined level, opens and allows the gas or vapor to escape until its pressure is reduced to a pressure equal to or below that of the predetermined level. Compare relief valve.
- saffron rice — a dish made from white rice and flavoured with the spice saffron
- sale of work — a sale of goods and handicrafts made by the members of a club, church congregation, etc, to raise money
- sales office — the office or room of the department of a company responsible for selling its goods or services
- salutiferous — salutary.
- san fernando — a city in E Argentina, near Buenos Aires.
- sanctifiedly — in a sanctified manner
- sand-floated — noting an exterior wall finish composed of mortar rubbed with sand and floated when it has partly set.
- sanguiferous — conveying blood, as a blood vessel.
- satin-flower — a Californian plant, Clarkia amoena, of the evening primrose family, having cup-shaped pink or purplish flowers blotched with red.
- savoir faire — knowledge of just what to do in any situation; tact.
- savoir-faire — knowledge of just what to do in any situation; tact.
- scafell pike — a mountain in NW England, in Cumberland: highest peak in England. 3210 feet (978 meters).
- scalar field — a region with a number assigned at each point.
- scared stiff — terrified
- schaffhausen — a canton in N Switzerland. 100 sq. mi. (259 sq. km).
- scire facias — a writ requiring the party against whom it is brought to show cause why a judgment, letters patent, etc., should not be executed, vacated, or annulled.
- scratch file — A scratch file is a temporary computer file which you use as a work area or as a store while a program is operating.
- sea crawfish — spiny lobster