13-letter words containing a, l, f, r
- fluorographic — of or pertaining to fluorography
- fluoroplastic — any of the plastics, as Teflon, in which hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon chains are replaced by fluorine atoms.
- flutterboards — Plural form of flutterboard.
- fly fisherman — one who fishes by fly-casting
- flying boxcar — a large airplane designed to carry cargo.
- flying dragon — any of several arboreal lizards of the genus Draco, having an extensible membrane between the limbs along each side by means of which it makes long, gliding leaps.
- flying lizard — flying dragon.
- flying saucer — any of various disk-shaped objects allegedly seen flying at high speeds and altitudes, often with extreme changes in speed and direction, and thought by some to be manned by intelligent beings from outer space.
- focal seizure — an epileptic manifestation arising from a localized anomaly in the brain, as a small tumor or scar, and usually involving a single motor or sensory mechanism but occasionally spreading to other areas and causing convulsions and loss of consciousness.
- folding chair — a chair that can be collapsed flat for easy storage or transport.
- fool's errand — a completely absurd, pointless, or useless errand.
- foolhardiness — recklessly or thoughtlessly bold; foolishly rash or venturesome.
- foolheartedly — Foolishly. In a foolhardy manner. Without thinking about the consequences.
- for dear life — the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.
- for values of — (jargon) A common rhetorical maneuver at MIT is to use any of the canonical random numbers as placeholders for variables. "The max function takes 42 arguments, for arbitrary values of 42". "There are 69 ways to leave your lover, for 69 = 50". This is especially likely when the speaker has uttered a random number and realises that it was not recognised as such, but even "non-random" numbers are occasionally used in this fashion. A related joke is that pi equals 3 - for small values of pi and large values of 3. This usage probably derives from the programming language MAD (Michigan Algorithm Decoder), an ALGOL-like language that was the most common choice among mainstream (non-hacker) users at MIT in the mid-1960s. It had a control structure FOR VALUES OF X = 3, 7, 99 DO ... that would repeat the indicated instructions for each value in the list (unlike the usual FOR that generates an arithmetic sequence of values). MAD is long extinct, but similar for-constructs still flourish (e.g. in Unix's shell languages).
- foramen ovale — the small, oval opening in the wall that separates the atria of the heart in a normal fetus: it allows blood to bypass the nonfunctioning fetal lungs until the time of birth when it gradually closes up
- foraminiferal — Of, pertaining to, or resembling the foraminifers; foraminiferous.
- force a smile — to make oneself smile
- forced labour — labour done because of force; compulsory labour
- formal review — (project) A technical review conducted with the customer including the types of reviews called for in DOD-STD-2167A (Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, etc.)
- formal system — an uninterpreted symbolic system whose syntax is precisely defined, and on which a relation of deducibility is defined in purely syntactic terms; a logistic system
- formal theory — an uninterpreted symbolic system whose syntax is precisely defined, and on which a relation of deducibility is defined in purely syntactic terms; a logistic system
- formalisation — Alternative spelling of formalization.
- formalization — to make formal, especially for the sake of official or authorized acceptance: to formalize an understanding by drawing up a legal contract.
- formidability — causing fear, apprehension, or dread: a formidable opponent.
- formula algol — An ALGOL extension for symbolic mathematics, strings and lists, developed by A.J. Perlis and R. Iturriaga at Carnegie for the CDC G-20 in 1962.
- formulaically — made according to a formula; composed of formulas: a formulaic plot.
- formularising — Present participle of formularise.
- formularistic — relating to formularization
- formularizing — Present participle of formularize.
- fort campbell — a military reservation in SW Kentucky and NW Tennessee, NW of Clarksville, Tenn., and SW of Hopkinsville, Ky.
- fortran-linda — Scientific Computer Assocs <[email protected]>.
- forward delta — The delta which, when combined with a version, creates a child version. See change management
- forward slash — a short oblique stroke (/), or slash, especially one used in computer programming or to specify an Internet address or computer filename.
- fowler's toad — an eastern U.S. toad, Bufo woodhousii fowleri, having an almost patternless white belly.
- fractionalise — Alt form fractionalize.
- fractionalism — the state of being separate or inharmonious
- fractionalist — an advocate or supporter of fractionalism
- fractionalize — Divide (someone or something) into separate groups or parts.
- fractocumulus — low ragged slightly bulbous cloud, often appearing below nimbostratus clouds during rain
- fragmentarily — consisting of or reduced to fragments; broken; disconnected; incomplete: fragmentary evidence; fragmentary remains.
- frank whittle — Sir Frank, 1907–96, English engineer and inventor.
- frankenthaler — Helen, 1928–2011, U.S. painter.
- franklin park — a city in NE Illinois, near Chicago.
- franklin tree — a deciduous tree, Franklinia alatamaha, having large, white, fragrant flowers, one of the rarest trees in the world, once native only to Georgia and now known only in cultivation.
- fraser island — an island off the south-east coast of Queensland and the largest sand island in the world; contains rainforests, heathlands, and freshwater lakes; a national park (since 1976) and a World Heritage site (since 1992). Area: 1840 sq km (710 sq miles). Pop: 194 (2011)
- freckle-faced — having a face conspicuously covered with freckles.
- free enthalpy — a thermodynamic property of a system equal to the difference between its enthalpy and the product of its temperature and its entropy. It is usually measured in joules
- free variable — (in functional calculus) a variable occurring in a sentential function and not within the scope of any quantifier containing it.
- free-floating — (of an emotional state) lacking an apparent cause, focus, or object; generalized: free-floating hostility.