16-letter words containing a, f, u
- fibonacci number — a number in the Fibonacci sequence, each of which is the sum of the previous two
- filterable virus — a virus particle small enough to pass through a filter of diatomaceous earth or porcelain, which will not pass bacteria: chiefly historical or an informal indicator of size, as synthetic membrane filters now permit passage of the smallest virus.
- find favour with — to be approved of by someone
- finite automaton — Finite State Machine
- fire regulations — rules intended to make sure that people and property stay safe in the event of a fire
- first lieutenant — an officer ranking next above second lieutenant and next below a captain.
- fish or cut bait — any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales.
- flamborough head — a chalk promontory in NE England, on the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire
- flame cultivator — an implement that kills weeds by scorching them with a directed flow of flaming gas.
- flashbulb memory — the clear recollections that a person may have of the circumstances associated with a dramatic event
- flat-track bully — a sportsperson who dominates inferior opposition, but who cannot beat top-level opponents
- flight simulator — a device used in pilot and crew training that provides a cockpit environment and sensations of flight under actual conditions.
- fluorescent lamp — a tubular electric discharge lamp in which light is produced by the fluorescence of phosphors coating the inside of the tube.
- fluosilicic acid — an unstable acid, H 2 SiF 6 , known only in its colorless, poisonous, fuming aqueous solution or in the form of its salts: used chiefly as a wood preservative, a disinfectant, and as a hardening agent in the manufacture of ceramic ware, cement, and concrete.
- flying ambulance — an aircraft used to take sick or injured people to hospital
- focused strategy — a business strategy in which an organization divests itself of all but its core activities, using the funds raised to enhance the distinctive abilities that give it an advantage over its rivals
- follicular phase — a stage of the menstrual cycle, from onset of menstruation to ovulation.
- fool around with — have casual sex
- foot fault judge — on official on the baseline who is responsible for calling foot faults
- for a good cause — If you say that something is for a good cause, you mean that it is worth doing or giving to because it will help other people, for example by raising money for charity.
- for a/one minute — If you say that you do not believe for a minute or for one minute that something is true, you are emphasizing that you do not believe that it is true.
- for external use — If medicine is for external use, it is intended to be used only on the outside of your body, and not to be eaten or drunk.
- for good measure — a unit or standard of measurement: weights and measures.
- for the duration — If you say that something will happen for the duration, you mean that it will happen for as long as a particular situation continues.
- forbush decrease — the sudden decrease in the intensity of cosmic rays after an increase in solar activity.
- foreign language — language not one's mother tongue
- fort sam houston — a military reservation and U.S. Army training center in San Antonio, Tex.
- foundation stone — any of the stones composing the foundation of a building.
- founders' shares — shares awarded to the founders of a company and often granting special privileges
- four-course meal — A four-course meal is a meal that consists of four parts served one after the other.
- four-deal bridge — a version of bridge in which four hands only are played, the players then cutting for new partners
- four-dimensional — of a space having points, or a set having elements, which require four coordinates for their unique determination.
- four-leaf clover — a clover leaf having four leaflets instead of the usual three, purported to bring good luck.
- four-masted brig — jackass bark (def 2).
- four-star petrol — petrol containing lead, formerly sold in the UK
- fourier analysis — the expression of any periodic function as a sum of sine and cosine functions, as in an electromagnetic wave function. Compare Fourier series.
- fourth amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, prohibiting unlawful search and seizure of personal property.
- franchise clause — a clause stipulating that the insured will be responsible for any loss not in excess of a stated amount, and the insurance company will be liable for full payment of the loss equaling or exceeding the amount up to the insured amount.
- francis of paula — Saint, 1416–1507, Italian monk: founder of the order of Minims.
- frankfurt school — a school of thought, founded at the University of Frankfurt in 1923 by Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse and others, derived from Marxist, Freudian, and Hegelian theory
- fraternity house — a house occupied by a college or university fraternity.
- fraunhofer lines — a set of dark lines appearing in the continuous emission spectrum of the sun. It is caused by the absorption of light of certain wavelengths coming from the hotter region of the sun by elements in the cooler outer atmosphere
- full speed ahead — train: at top speed
- full steam ahead — If something such as a plan or a project goes full steam ahead, it progresses quickly.
- functional group — a group of atoms responsible for the characteristic behavior of the class of compounds in which the group occurs, as the hydroxyl group in alcohols.
- functional shift — a change in the grammatical function of a word, as in the use of the noun input as a verb or the noun fun as an adjective.
- functional water — water containing additives that provide extra nutritional value
- fund supermarket — an online facility offering discounted investment opportunities and advice
- fundamental bass — a bass consisting of the roots of the chords employed.
- fundamental star — one of a number of stars with positions that have been determined accurately and that are used as reference stars for the determination of positions of other celestial objects.