19-letter words containing a, n, p
- public-interest law — a branch of law that often utilizes class-action suits to protect the interest of a large group or of the public at large, as in matters relating to racial discrimination, air pollution, etc.
- pugwash conferences — international peace conferences of scientists held regularly to discuss world problems: Nobel peace prize 1995 awarded to Joseph Rotblat (1908–2005) , one of the founders of the conferences, secretary-general (1957–73), and president (1988–97)
- punch and judy show — A Punch and Judy show is a puppet show for children, often performed at fairs or at the seaside. Punch and Judy, the two main characters, are always fighting.
- punch-and-judy show — a puppet show having a conventional plot consisting chiefly of slapstick humor and the tragicomic misadventures of the grotesque, hook-nosed, humpback buffoon Punch and his wife Judy.
- puncture repair kit — set of tools for patching a bicycle tyre
- put a figure on sth — When you put a figure on an amount, you say exactly how much it is.
- put on the feed bag — Also called nose bag. a bag for feeding horses, placed before the mouth and fastened around the head with straps.
- put one's back into — to devote all one's strength to (a task)
- put one's skates on — ice skate (def 1).
- put sth into action — If you put an idea or policy into action, you begin to use it or cause it to operate.
- pyrenees-orientales — a department in S France. 1600 sq. mi. (4145 sq. km). Capital: Perpignan.
- pythagorean theorem — Pythagoras's Theorem
- 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.
- radiation potential — the potential in volts that must be applied to an atom or molecule to cause it to emit radiation at one of its characteristic frequencies.
- ralph waldo emerson — Ralph Waldo [wawl-doh,, wol-] /ˈwɔl doʊ,, ˈwɒl-/ (Show IPA), 1803–82, U.S. essayist and poet.
- rancho palos verdes — a town in SW California.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- rate of penetration — The rate of penetration is the speed with which a drill bit can break the rock under it.
- reactive depression — depression occurring in response to some situational stress, as loss of one's job.
- reciprocal exchange — an unincorporated association formed so that its members can participate in reciprocal insurance.
- reciprocal leveling — leveling between two widely separated points in which observations are made in both directions to eliminate the effects of atmospheric refraction and the curvature of the earth.
- reconceptualization — to form into a concept; make a concept of.
- reduction potential — (in a galvanic cell) the potential of the electrode at which reduction occurs.
- relative complement — the set of elements contained in a given set that are not elements of another specified set.
- relative impediment — a fact or circumstance that disqualifies from lawful marriage persons who are closely related.
- relocation expenses — Relocation expenses are a sum of money that a company pays to someone who moves to a new area in order to work for the company. The money is to help them pay for moving house.
- repeat prescription — A repeat prescription is a prescription for a medicine that you have taken before or that you use regularly.
- representationalism — Also called representative realism. Epistemology. the view that the objects of perception are ideas or sense data that represent external objects, especially the Lockean doctrine that the perceived idea represents exactly the primary qualities of the external object.
- republic of ireland — John, 1838–1918, U.S. Roman Catholic clergyman and social reformer, born in Ireland: archbishop of St. Paul, Minn., 1888–1918.
- republic of vietnam — the name (from 1955–75) for South Vietnam, as an independent republic, following the division of the country in 1954 into North Vietnam and South Vietnam
- reserved occupation — in time of war, an occupation from which one will not be called up for military service
- resorcinolphthalein — fluorescein.
- respiratory pigment — any of several colored protein substances, as hemoglobin and hemocyanin, in the circulatory system of animals and some plants, that combine reversibly with oxygen that is carried to the tissues
- resplendent quetzal — See under quetzal (def 1).
- ring up the curtain — to begin a theatrical performance
- ring-spinning frame — a machine containing the ring, traveler, and bobbin used in spinning yarn.
- royal correspondent — a journalist who reports on matters relating to royalty
- 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 patrick's day — March 17, observed by the Irish in honor of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
- samuel de champlain — Samuel de [sam-yoo-uh l duh;; French sa-my-el duh] /ˈsæm yu əl də;; French sa müˈɛl də/ (Show IPA), 1567–1635, French explorer in the Americas: founder of Quebec; first colonial governor 1633–35.
- san bernardino pass — a pass over the Lepontine Alps in SE Switzerland. Highest point: 2062 m (6766 ft)
- san francisco peaks — a mountain mass in N Arizona: highest point in the state, Humphrey's Peak, 12,611 feet (3845 meters).
- san juan capistrano — a city in SW California: site of old Spanish mission; known for annual return of swallows, said to occur on March 19.
- sanitary protection — Sanitary protection is sanitary towels or tampons.
- santa rosa de copan — a town in W Honduras: site of extensive Mayan ruins.
- sao paulo de luanda — Luanda.
- satellite telephone — a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting artificial satellites rather than terrestrial cell sites
- scale down (or up) — to reduce (or increase), often according to a fixed ratio or proportion
- scare the pants off — to scare extremely
- sea floor spreading — a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth's mantle rises in margins between plates or ridges and spreads out.