19-letter words containing a, l, k

national book award — any of several awards given annually, 1949–79, to an author whose book was judged the best in its category: administered by the Association of American Publishers. Abbreviation: NBA, N.B.A.
natural killer cell — a small killer cell that destroys virus-infected cells or tumor cells without activation by an immune system cell or antibody.
niagara-on-the-lake — a town in SE Ontario, in S Canada, on Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Niagara River, on the border between Canada and New York.
norfolk island pine — a coniferous evergreen tree, Araucaria heterophylla (or A. excelsa), having whorled branches and needlelike foliage, widely cultivated as a houseplant.
not by a long chalk — by no means; not possibly
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.
office-block ballot — a ballot on which the candidates are listed alphabetically, with or without their party designations, in columns under the office for which they were nominated.
olive-backed thrush — Swainson's thrush.
on the baker's list — in good health
optical mark reader — (hardware) (OMR) A special scanning device that can read carefully placed pencil marks on specially designed documents. OMR is frequenty used in forms, questionnaires, and answer-sheets.
particle kinematics — Particle kinematics is the study of the movement of particles, without considering the forces that cause this movement.
peak envelope power — (communications) (PEP) The maximum power output by a radio transmitter over one complete RF cycle at any modulation.
peak listening time — the time at which the highest numbers of audiences are listening to the radio
phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
pileated woodpecker — a large, black-and-white American woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, having a prominent red crest.
pistol-handle knife — a table knife, especially of the 18th century, having a slightly curved handle resembling the grip of a flintlock pistol.
port jackson willow — an Australian acacia tree, Acacia cyanophylla, introduced in the 19th century into South Africa, where it is now regarded as a pest
postal savings bank — any of the savings banks formerly operated by local post offices and limited to small accounts.
prairie rattlesnake — a rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis viridis, of the prairies of western North America.
presentation skills — the set of techniques and skills required successfully to present oral information to others
raise one's hackles — one of the long, slender feathers on the neck or saddle of certain birds, as the domestic rooster, much used in making artificial flies for anglers.
rake over the coals — a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
red-shouldered hawk — a North American hawk, Buteo lineatus, having rufous shoulders.
removable hard disk — (storage) A type of magnetic disk, or possibly magneto-optical disk which is not permanently attached to the disk drive (not a fixed disk) but which can be taken out and replaced, allowing many disks to be used in the same drive. The term "removable disk" would seem to be applicable to floppy disks but is generally reserved for hard disks in suitable cartridges such as those made by Syquest, Iomega and others. Removable disk packs were common on minicomputers such as the PDP-11 in use in the 1970s except that the drives were the size of washing machines and the disk packs as big as car wheels. Removable disks became popular on microcomputers in the 1990s as a cheap way of expanding disk space, transporting large amounts of data between computers and storing backups. Large, cheap fixed hard disks and USB memory sticks have made removable disks less attractive.
rickettsial disease — any of several acute infectious diseases caused by ticks, mites, or body lice infected with rickettsiae. The main types include typhus, spotted fever, Q fever, trench fever, and tsutsugamushi disease
sackcloth and ashes — a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
saddle-billed stork — a large stork, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, of West Africa, having a white and black body and a long, red and black bill.
saint luke's summer — a period of unusually warm weather in the autumn
sale and lease back — leaseback.
sell like hot cakes — a pancake or griddlecake.
shield-tailed snake — any of several burrowing snakes of the family Uropeltidae, of the Indian peninsula and Sri Lanka, having a tail that ends in a flat disk.
sickle-cell anaemia — Sickle-cell anaemia is an inherited illness in which the red blood cells become curved, causing a number of health problems.
stakeholder pension — In Britain, a stakeholder pension is a flexible pension scheme with low charges. Both employees and the state contribute to the scheme, which is optional, and is in addition to the basic state pension.
stanislavski method — method (def 5).
stick to one's last — a wooden or metal form in the shape of the human foot on which boots or shoes are shaped or repaired.
strike a false note — to behave inappropriately
swallow-tailed kite — an American kite, Elanoides forficatus, having black upper parts, white head and underparts, and a long, deeply forked tail.
sweetheart neckline — a neckline on a woman's garment, as a dress, with a high back and a low-cut front with two curved edges resembling the conventionalized shape of a heart.
switchblade (knife) — a large jackknife that snaps open when a release button on the handle is pressed
take it or leave it — If you say to someone 'take it or leave it', you are telling them that they can accept something or not accept it, but that you are not prepared to discuss any other alternatives.
take sth personally — If you take someone's remarks personally, you are upset because you think that they are criticizing you in particular.
take to one's heels — the back part of the human foot, below and behind the ankle.
take up the cudgels — If you take up the cudgels for someone or something, you speak or fight in support of them.
that's more like it — If you say that's more like it, you mean that the thing that you are referring to is more satisfactory than it was on earlier occasions.
ticket-of-leave man — (formerly in Britain) a convict who had a permit to leave prison, after serving only part of his sentence, with certain restrictions placed on him
to click into place — If you have been trying to understand something puzzling and then everything falls into place or clicks into place, you suddenly understand how different pieces of information are connected and everything becomes clearer.
to fit like a glove — If you say that something fits like a glove, you are emphasizing that it fits exactly.
to go blackberrying — to go on an outing to collect blackberries

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page

Tell us why?