19-letter words containing a, k, u
- natural killer cell — a small killer cell that destroys virus-infected cells or tumor cells without activation by an immune system cell or antibody.
- not much to look at — unattractive or unimpressive
- oak-leaved geranium — a geranium, Pelargonium quercifolium, of southern Africa, having oaklike leaves with purple veins and sparse clusters of purple flowers with darker markings.
- olive-backed thrush — Swainson's thrush.
- parachute spinnaker — a very large spinnaker used on a racing yacht.
- phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- portuguese-speaking — being a speaker of Portuguese; having Portuguese as the national language
- prick up one's ears — a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like.
- puncture repair kit — set of tools for patching a bicycle tyre
- put one's back into — to devote all one's strength to (a task)
- put one's skates on — ice skate (def 1).
- quick on the uptake — You say that someone is quick on the uptake when they understand things quickly. You say that someone is slow on the uptake when they have difficulty understanding simple or obvious things.
- quick-change artist — a person adept at changing from one thing to another, as an entertainer who changes costumes quickly during a performance.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- red-shouldered hawk — a North American hawk, Buteo lineatus, having rufous shoulders.
- rocky mountain goat — a long-haired, white, antelopelike wild goat, Oreamnos americanus, of mountainous regions of western North America, having short, black horns.
- saddharma-pundarika — a Mahayana sutra, forming with its references to Amida and the Bodhisattvas the basis for the doctrine that there is something of Buddha in everyone, so that salvation is universally available: a central text of Mahayana Buddhism.
- saint luke's summer — a period of unusually warm weather in the autumn
- shucking and jiving — misleading or deceptive talk or behavior, as to give a false impression.
- smokestack industry — A smokestack industry is a traditional industry such as heavy engineering or manufacturing, rather than a modern industry such as electronics.
- speaking in tongues — a form of glossolalia in which a person experiencing religious ecstasy utters incomprehensible sounds that the speaker believes are a language spoken through him or her by a deity.
- take a running jump — a contemptuous expression of dismissal
- take one's cue from — If you take your cue from someone or something, you do something similar in a particular situation.
- take up the cudgels — If you take up the cudgels for someone or something, you speak or fight in support of them.
- tanizaki jun-ichiro — 1886–1965, Japanese novelist, whose works, such as Some Prefer Nettles (1929) and The Makioka Sisters (1943–48), reflect the tension between Western values and Japanese traditions
- to break new ground — If you break new ground, you do something completely different or you do something in a completely different way.
- to make a fast buck — When someone makes a fast buck or makes a quick buck, they earn a lot of money quickly and easily, often by doing something which is considered to be dishonest.
- to make your/a mark — If you make your mark or make a mark, you become noticed or famous by doing something impressive or unusual.
- to rack your brains — If you rack your brains, you try very hard to think of something.
- to stick out a mile — If you say that something or someone sticks out a mile or stands out a mile, you are emphasizing that they are very obvious and easy to recognize.
- to take the biscuit — If someone has done something very stupid, rude, or selfish, you can say that they take the biscuit or that what they have done takes the biscuit, to emphasize your surprise at their behaviour.
- tussock caterpillar — the larva of a tussock moth.
- vacuum coffee maker — a coffee pot with upper and lower glass units, the upper for ground coffee and the lower for water that, when boiled, rises through the filter-stoppered bottom of the upper unit and remains there until drawn back down to the lower unit as brewed coffee by a reduction in pressure caused by the removal of heat.
- value added network — (networking) (VAN) A privately owned network that provides a specific service, such as legal research or access to a specialised database, for a fee. A Value Added Network usually offers some service or information that is not readily available on public networks. A Value Added Network's customers typically purchase leased lines that connect them to the network or they use a dial-up number, given by the network owner, to gain access to the network.