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15-letter words containing a, i, r, f

  • self-regulating — adjusting, ruling, or governing itself without outside interference; operating or functioning without externally imposed controls or regulations: a self-regulating economy; the self-regulating market.
  • self-regulation — control by oneself or itself, as in an economy, business organization, etc., especially such control as exercised independently of governmental supervision, laws, or the like.
  • self-regulative — used for or capable of controlling or adjusting oneself or itself: a self-regulative device.
  • self-revelation — disclosure of one's private feelings, thoughts, etc., especially when unintentional.
  • semi-figurative — of the nature of or involving a figure of speech, especially a metaphor; metaphorical and not literal: The word “head” has several figurative senses, as in “She's the head of the company.”. Synonyms: metaphorical, not literal, symbolic.
  • semimanufacture — a product which forms an intermediate stage in the manufacture of another, often more complex product
  • shelikof strait — a strait between the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island, in S Alaska. 130 miles (209 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) wide.
  • simple fraction — a ratio of two integers.
  • simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
  • slumpflationary — of or relating to slumpflation
  • snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
  • spanish trefoil — alfalfa.
  • special feature — an article differing from the normal format and focusing on a particular topic
  • specific charge — the ratio of the charge on a particle to the mass of the particle.
  • spirits of salt — a solution of hydrochloric acid in water
  • stamford bridge — a village in N England, east of York: site of a battle (1066) in which King Harold of England defeated his brother Tostig and King Harald Hardrada of Norway, three weeks before the Battle of Hastings
  • starfish flower — carrion flower (def 2).
  • station officer — a person who is in charge of a fire station
  • steam reforming — a process in which methane from natural gas is heated, with steam, usually with a catalyst, to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used in organic synthesis and as a fuel
  • straightforward — going or directed straight ahead: a straightforward gaze.
  • strait of canso — a channel in Canada, between the Nova Scotia mainland and S Cape Breton Island
  • strait of dover — a strait between SE England and N France, linking the English Channel with the North Sea. Width: about 32 km (20 miles)
  • strait of tiran — a strait between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Length: 16 km (10 miles). Width: 8 km (5 miles)
  • streamline flow — the flow of a fluid past an object such that the velocity at any fixed point in the fluid is constant or varies in a regular manner.
  • strike the flag — to relinquish command, esp of a ship
  • subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
  • superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
  • surface density — quantity, as of electric charge, per unit surface area.
  • surface tension — the elasticlike force existing in the surface of a body, especially a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface, caused by asymmetries in the intermolecular forces between surface molecules.
  • surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
  • sylvian fissure — lateral fissure.
  • syngeneic graft — a tissue or organ transplanted from one member of a species to another, genetically identical member of the species, as a kidney transplanted from one identical twin to the other.
  • take for a ride — to sit on and manage a horse or other animal in motion; be carried on the back of an animal.
  • take it from me — You can say 'take it from me' to tell someone that you are absolutely sure that what you are saying is correct, and that they should believe you.
  • tariff barriers — a barrier to trade between certain countries or geographical areas which takes the form of abnormally high taxes levied by a government on imports or occasionally exports for purposes of protection, support of the balance of payments, or the raising of revenue
  • tax certificate — a document issued to the purchaser of property sold for unpaid taxes attesting to the holder's right to eventual receipt of the title deed.
  • tentaculiferous — having tentacles
  • tetrafunctional — pertaining to molecules or groups that can bond at four sites.
  • thanks offering — an offering made as an expression of thanks to God
  • the affirmative — the side in a debate that supports the proposition
  • the first-named — something that is specified or named first
  • the reformation — the 16th-cent. religious movement that aimed at reforming the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in establishing the Protestant churches
  • theatrical film — a film made for exhibition in theaters, as distinguished from one made for television.
  • theft insurance — insurance against loss or damage of property resulting from theft.
  • three of a kind — a set of three cards of the same denomination.
  • through traffic — traffic which continues on a road or highway rather than crossing onto a different road
  • time after time — the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another.
  • to make friends — If you make friends with someone, you begin a friendship with them. You can also say that two people make friends.
  • tourist traffic — the number of tourists that visit an area
  • towers of hanoi — (games)   A classic computer science problem, invented by Edouard Lucas in 1883, often used as an example of recursion. "In the great temple at Benares, says he, beneath the dome which marks the centre of the world, rests a brass plate in which are fixed three diamond needles, each a cubit high and as thick as the body of a bee. On one of these needles, at the creation, God placed sixty-four discs of pure gold, the largest disc resting on the brass plate, and the others getting smaller and smaller up to the top one. This is the Tower of Bramah. Day and night unceasingly the priests transfer the discs from one diamond needle to another according to the fixed and immutable laws of Bramah, which require that the priest on duty must not move more than one disc at a time and that he must place this disc on a needle so that there is no smaller disc below it. When the sixty-four discs shall have been thus transferred from the needle on which at the creation God placed them to one of the other needles, tower, temple, and Brahmins alike will crumble into dust, and with a thunderclap the world will vanish." The recursive solution is: Solve for n-1 discs recursively, then move the remaining largest disc to the free needle. Note that there is also a non-recursive solution: On odd-numbered moves, move the smallest sized disk clockwise. On even-numbered moves, make the single other move which is possible.
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