8-letter words containing a, n, d, w
- handsewn — sewn by hand.
- handwash — If you handwash something, you wash it by hand rather than in a washing machine.
- handwave — [possibly from gestures characteristic of stage magicians] To gloss over a complex point; to distract a listener; to support a (possibly actually valid) point with blatantly faulty logic. If someone starts a sentence with "Clearly..." or "Obviously..." or "It is self-evident that...", it is a good bet he is about to handwave (alternatively, use of these constructions in a sarcastic tone before a paraphrase of someone else's argument suggests that it is a handwave). The theory behind this term is that if you wave your hands at the right moment, the listener may be sufficiently distracted to not notice that what you have said is wrong. Failing that, if a listener does object, you might try to dismiss the objection with a wave of your hand. The use of this word is often accompanied by gestures: both hands up, palms forward, swinging the hands in a vertical plane pivoting at the elbows and/or shoulders (depending on the magnitude of the handwave); alternatively, holding the forearms in one position while rotating the hands at the wrist to make them flutter. In context, the gestures alone can suffice as a remark; if a speaker makes an outrageously unsupported assumption, you might simply wave your hands in this way, as an accusation, far more eloquent than words could express, that his logic is faulty.
- handwork — work done by hand, as distinguished from work done by machine.
- hard-won — If you describe something that someone has gained or achieved as hard-won, you mean that they worked hard to gain or achieve it.
- headwind — a wind opposed to the course of a moving object, especially an aircraft or other vehicle (opposed to tailwind).
- hindward — backward
- inwardly — in or on, or with reference to, the inside or inner part; internally.
- jawboned — Simple past tense and past participle of jawbone.
- knapweed — any composite plant of the genus Centaurea, especially the weedy C. nigra, having rose-purple flowers set on a dark-colored, knoblike bract.
- landward — Also, landwards. toward the land or interior.
- landwash — the foreshore, especially that part between high and low tidemarks.
- landwehr — (in Germany, Austria, etc.) the part of the organized military forces of a nation that has completed a certain amount of compulsory training, and whose continuous service is required only in time of war.
- law-hand — a style of handwriting used in old legal documents, especially in England.
- lawndale — a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.
- lay down — to put or place in a horizontal position or position of rest; set down: to lay a book on a desk.
- lindwall — Ray(mond Russell). 1921–96, Australian cricketer. A fast bowler, he played for Australia 61 times between 1946 and 1958
- loanword — a word in one language that has been borrowed from another language and usually naturalized, as wine, taken into Old English from Latin vinum, or macho, taken into Modern English from Spanish.
- lowlands — land that is low or level, in comparison with the adjacent country.
- madwoman — a woman who is or behaves as if insane.
- madwomen — Plural form of madwoman.
- markdown — a reduction in price, usually to encourage buying.
- mawbound — (of cattle) constipated
- mindware — The mental knowledge and procedures that a person uses to solve problems or make decisions.
- misdrawn — to cause to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often followed by along, away, in, out, or off).
- moonward — Also, moonwards. toward the moon: turned their eyes moonward.
- narrowed — Simple past tense and past participle of narrow.
- new deal — the principles of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, especially those advocated under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for economic recovery and social reforms.
- newlands — John Alexander. 1838–98, British chemist: classified the elements in order of their atomic weight, noticing similarities in every eighth and thus discovering his law of octaves
- newslady — A newswoman.
- nowadays — at the present day; in these times: Few people do their laundry by hand nowadays.
- obwalden — one of the two divisions of the canton of Unterwalden, in central Switzerland. 189 sq. mi. (490 sq. km). Capital: Sarnen.
- onwardly — moving forward; advancing
- pandowdy — apple pandowdy.
- pat-down — an act or instance of passing the hands over the body of a clothed person to detect concealed weapons, drugs, etc.; frisking.
- pay down — to settle (a debt, obligation, etc.), as by transferring money or goods, or by doing something: Please pay your bill.
- playdown — a play-off.
- pre-dawn — the period immediately preceding dawn.
- predrawn — to cause to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often followed by along, away, in, out, or off).
- randwick — a city in E New South Wales, SE Australia, on Botany Bay and the Pacific Ocean: a suburb of Sydney.
- rawboned — having little flesh, especially on a large-boned frame; gaunt.
- sandwell — a unitary authority in central England, in West Midlands. Pop: 285 000 (2003 est). Area: 86 sq km (33 sq miles)
- sandwich — a town in E Kent, in SE England: one of the Cinque Ports.
- sandworm — any of several marine worms that live in sand.
- sandwort — any plant belonging to the genus Arenaria, of the pink family, having narrow leaves and clusters of usually white flowers, many of which grow in sandy soil.
- snow day — a day on which public schools or other institutions are closed due to heavy snow.
- snowland — an area that is covered by snow
- sunwards — Also, sunwards. toward the sun.
- swanherd — a person who tends swans.
- swanndri — an all-weather heavy woollen shirt