24-letter words containing a, n, o, y

object management system — In an IPSE, the system which maintains information about the system under development.
object-oriented analysis — (programming) (OOA) The first phase of object-oriented design.
open system architecture — (operating system) (OSA) A competitor to IBM's SNA.
parliamentary government — government by a body of cabinet ministers who are chosen from and responsible to the legislature and act as advisers to a nominal chief of state.
people's liberation army — See under Huk (def 1).
permeability coefficient — the volume of an incompressible fluid that will flow in unit time through a unit cube of a porous substance across which a unit pressure difference is maintained
polychlorinated biphenyl — PCB.
preparatory to doing sth — If one action is done preparatory to another, it is done before the other action, usually as preparation for it.
present company excepted — If you are making a general, unfavourable comment about a particular type of person, and you are with people of that type, you can say 'present company excepted' as a way of making your comment sound more polite.
probability distribution — a distribution of all possible values of a random variable together with an indication of their probabilities.
psychopathic personality — an antisocial personality characterized by the failure to develop any sense of moral responsibility and the capability of performing violent or antisocial acts
quinacrine hydrochloride — Atabrine
rapid eye movement sleep — REM sleep.
rational-emotive therapy — a form of therapy in which a patient is asked to reject irrational attitudes and assumptions in order to deal effectively with stressful situations.
representative democracy — a person or thing that represents another or others.
responsibility allowance — payment made to somebody who has special responsibilities
reverse annuity mortgage — a type of home mortgage under which an elderly homeowner is allowed a long-term loan in the form of monthly payments against his or her paid-off equity as collateral, repayable when the home is eventually sold. Abbreviation: RAM.
ricardian theory of rent — economic rent.
rocky mountain whitefish — mountain whitefish.
saint ignatius of loyola — Saint Ignatius of (Iñigo López de Loyola) 1491–1556, Spanish soldier and ecclesiastic: founder of the Society of Jesus.
san joaquin valley fever — coccidioidomycosis.
scottish country dancing — a type of Scottish folk dancing, including reels, jigs, and strathspeys, in which couples are arranged in sets and perform a series of movements, esp facing one another in a line
secondary school teacher — a person who teaches at a secondary school
sequentially compact set — a set in which every sequence has a subsequence that converges to a point of the set.
shadow foreign secretary — the member of the main opposition party in Parliament who would hold the office of Foreign Secretary if their party were in power
single european currency — the official currency, also known as the Euro, of some of the members of the European Union
synchronous graphics ram — Synchronous Graphics Random Access Memory
telephony user interface — (communications) (TUI) Either a software interface to telephony (e.g. a phone-capable PC) or a DTMF-based interface to software (e.g. voicemail).
that goes without saying — that is self-evident
the way things are going — You can use the way things are going to indicate that you expect something to happen because of the way the present situation is developing.
thermal neutron analyzer — a baggage-screening device that detects explosives by using low-energy neutrons to sense gamma radiation.
to cramp someone's style — If someone or something cramps your style, their presence or existence restricts your behaviour in some way.
to have egg on your face — If someone has egg on their face or has egg all over their face, they have been made to look foolish.
to have not got a prayer — If you say that someone hasn't got a prayer, you mean that it is impossible for them to succeed in what they are trying to do.
to have seen better days — If you say that something has seen better days, you mean that it is old and in poor condition.
to keep something at bay — If you keep something or someone at bay, or hold them at bay, you prevent them from reaching, attacking, or affecting you.
to lay something to rest — If you lay something such as fears or rumours to rest or if you put them to rest, you succeed in proving that they are not true.
to make boundary changes — to change the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies, because of population shifts
total quality management — Total quality management is a set of management principles aimed at improving performance throughout a company, especially by involving employees in decision-making. The abbreviation TQM is also used.
transpersonal psychology — a branch of psychology or psychotherapy that recognizes altered states of consciousness and transcendent experiences as a means to understand the human mind and treat psychological disordrs.
trotskyist international — Fourth International.
under the sway of sb/sth — If you are under the sway of someone or something, they have great influence over you.
under-secretary of state — any of various high officials subordinate only to the minister in charge of a department
visual component library — (programming) VCL A application framework library for Microsoft Windows and Borland Software Corp.'s Delphi and C++Builder rapid application development software. VCL was originally designed for Delphi but is now also used for C++Builder. This replaces OWL Object Windows Library as Borland's Windows C++ framework of choice. VCL encapsulates the C-based Win32 API into a much easier to use, object-oriented form. Like its direct rival, Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC), VCL includes classes to create Windows programs. The VCL component class can be inherited to create new VCL components, which are the building blocks of Delphi and C++Builder applications. VCL components are somewhat in competition with ActiveX controls, though a VCL wrapper can be created to make an ActiveX control seem like a VCL component.
voluntary aid detachment — (in World War I) an organization of British women volunteers who assisted in military hospitals and ambulance duties
water of crystallization — water of hydration, formerly thought necessary to crystallization: now usually regarded as affecting crystallization only as it forms new molecular combinations.
ways and means committee — a standing committee of the US House of Representatives that supervises all financial legislation
webster-ashburton treaty — U.S. History. an agreement between the U.S. and England (1842) defining the boundary between British and American territory from Maine to present-day Minnesota.
what are you playing at? — If you ask what someone is playing at, you are angry because you think they are doing something stupid or wrong.
what are you waiting for — If you say to someone 'What are you waiting for?' you are telling them to hurry up and do something.

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

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

Tell us why?