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15-letter words containing a, f, t

  • at first glance — If you say that something is true or seems to be true at first glance, you mean that it seems to be true when you first see it or think about it, but that your first impression may be wrong.
  • at full stretch — If you are at full stretch, your arm is straight and extended as far as possible, usually because you are trying to reach something that is almost too far away.
  • at the hands of — If someone experiences a particular kind of treatment, especially unpleasant treatment, at the hands of a person or organization, they receive it from them.
  • at the mercy of — in the power of
  • at the point of — very close to; on the verge of
  • at the touch of — You use at the touch of in expressions such as at the touch of a button and at the touch of a key to indicate that something is possible by simply touching a switch or one of the keys of a keyboard.
  • atlantic puffin — any of several alcidine sea birds of the genera Fratercula and Lunda, having a short neck and a large, compressed, grooved bill, as F. arctica (Atlantic puffin) of the North Atlantic.
  • autofluorescent — Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting autofluorescence.
  • automatic focus — a system in a camera which automatically adjusts the lens so that the object being photographed is in focus, often one using infrared light to estimate the distance of the object from the camera
  • automatic rifle — a type of light machine gun capable of firing automatically or in single shots.
  • autotransformer — a transformer in which part of the winding is common to both primary and secondary circuits
  • autotransfusion — a process in which a patient receives some of his or her own blood in a transfusion rather than a donor's blood
  • babinski effect — the reflex curling upwards of the toes (instead of inwards) when the sole of the foot is stroked, normal in infants below the age of two but a pathological condition in adults
  • backup software — (tool, software)   Software for doing a backup, often included as part of the operating system. Backup software should provide ways to specify what files get backed up and to where. It may include its own scheduling function to automate the procedure or, preferably, work with generic scheduling facilities. It may include facilities for managing the backup media (e.g. maintaining an index of tapes) and for restoring files from backups. Examples are Unix's dump command and Windows's ntbackup.
  • bandpass filter — A bandpass filter is a filter designed to pass all frequencies within a band of frequencies.
  • bandstop filter — A bandstop filter is a filter designed to eliminate all frequencies within a band of frequencies.
  • baptism of fire — If someone who has just begun a new job has a baptism of fire, they immediately have to cope with very many severe difficulties and obstacles.
  • bare infinitive — an infinitive verb form without to, used with certain auxiliary verbs , as in I must go. All I did was ask. We might win.
  • barefoot doctor — (esp in developing countries) a worker trained as a medical auxiliary in a rural area who dispenses medicine, gives first aid, assists at childbirth, etc
  • battery farming — the activity of using batteries for raising poultry
  • battle of wills — A battle of wills is a situation that involves people who try to defeat each other by refusing to change their own aims or demands and hoping that their opponents will weaken first.
  • bayonet fitting — a type of fastening in which a cylindrical member is inserted into a socket against spring pressure and turned so that pins on its side engage in slots in the socket
  • beast of burden — A beast of burden is an animal such as an ox or a donkey that is used for carrying or pulling things.
  • beat oneself up — to reproach oneself
  • beef stroganoff — a dish of thin strips of beef cooked with onions, mushrooms, and seasonings, served in a sour-cream sauce
  • beefsteak plant — an Asian plant, Perilla frutescens crispa, with aromatic red or green leaves which are used in cooking: family Lamiaceae
  • beet leafhopper — a small leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) that transmits a very destructive virus to sugar beets
  • before the fact — before the commission of the offence
  • before the mast — as an apprentice seaman
  • belted sandfish — a sea bass, Serranus subligarius, inhabiting warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
  • benefit payment — a payment of money by the government to people who are ill, unemployed, poor or who have children
  • benefits agency — an agency that handles the payment of benefits
  • biogasification — the conversion of organic matter into biogas.
  • bit-mapped font — a computer font whose characters are held in memory as series of dots.
  • board of health — an agency with responsibility for health in state, country, etc
  • board-certified — A doctor who is board-certified has passed tests and meets the standards of a board of specialists in their area of medicine.
  • bohemian forest — a mountain range between the SW Czech Republic and SE Germany. Highest peak: Arber, 1457 m (4780 ft)
  • book of account — a book to keep accounts in; ledger
  • branchial cleft — Zoology. one of a series of slitlike openings in the walls of the pharynx between the branchial arches of fishes and aquatic amphibians through which water passes from the pharynx to the exterior.
  • breach of faith — a violation of good faith, confidence, or trust; betrayal: To abandon your friends now would be a breach of faith.
  • breach of trust — a violation of duty by a trustee or any other person in a fiduciary position
  • breakfast table — You refer to a table as the breakfast table when it is being used for breakfast.
  • bristol fashion — clean and neat, with newly painted and scrubbed surfaces, brass polished, etc
  • britneyfication — the effect on clothes and fashions of following the revealing styles favoured by the US pop singer Britney Spears (born 1981)
  • buffalo currant — an ornamental shrub, Ribes odoratum, of the central U.S., having showy, drooping clusters of fragrant yellow flowers and edible black fruit.
  • butterfly chair — a lightweight chair consisting of a piece of canvas, leather, etc. slung from a framework of metal bars
  • butterfly table — a small occasional table, usually having a round or oval top, with drop leaves supported by swinging brackets pivoted to the stretchers and to the underside of the top.
  • butterfly valve — a disc that acts as a valve by turning about a diameter, esp one used as the throttle valve in a carburettor
  • cadmium sulfate — a water-soluble compound, CdSO 4 , of colorless crystals, used as an antiseptic.
  • cafeteria-style — set up to allow a variety of choices.
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