20-letter words containing a, n, y, t

see with half an eye — the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.
self-belaying system — (in climbing) equipment used to pay out rope as required and thus enable a climber to self-belay
sensitivity training — a form of group therapy designed to develop understanding of oneself and others through free, unstructured discussion.
silicon tetrahydride — silane (def 1).
solitary confinement — the confinement of a prisoner in a cell or other place in which he or she is completely isolated from others.
south orkney islands — an uninhabited group of islands in the S Atlantic, southeast of Cape Horn: formerly a dependency of the Falkland Islands; part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962 (claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty). Area: 621 sq km (240 sq miles)
spanish oyster plant — a composite plant, Scolymus hispanicus, of southern Europe, having spiny, thistlelike leaf margins, small yellow flowers, and an edible root.
spectroscopic binary — a binary star having components that are not sufficiently separated to be resolved by a telescope, known to be a binary only bythe variations in wavelength of emitted light that are detected by a spectroscope.
spontaneous recovery — the reappearance of a response after its extinction has been followed by a period of rest
squatter sovereignty — (used contemptuously by its opponents) popular sovereignty (def 2).
steak and kidney pie — meat pastry
subscription library — a commercial lending library
summary jurisdiction — the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings
sunday-go-to-meeting — most presentable; best: Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes.
supplementary angles — either of two angles that added together produce an angle of 180°.
surveillance society — a society where surveillance technology is widely used to monitor people's everyday activities
synchronized skating — the art or sport of teams of up to twenty skaters holding onto each other and moving in patterns in time to music
synchronous rotation — rotation of a satellite in which the period of rotation is equal to the period of orbit around its primary, leaving the same face always pointing toward the primary: The moon is in synchronous rotation about the earth.
system international — Système International d'Unités
systemic circulation — the circulatory system in general.
take pity on someone — If you take pity on someone, you feel sorry for them and help them.
tax-deferred annuity — an annuity that enables one to purchase an insurance product that will earn interest, with the tax obligation deferred until withdrawals begin, usually at retirement. Abbreviation: TDA.
tchebycheff equation — a differential equation of the form (1 − x 2) d 2 y/dx 2 − x dy/dx + n 2 y = 0, where n is any nonnegative integer.
technology agreement — a framework designed by trade unions for negotiating changes in employment caused by the introduction of new technology
teletype corporation — (company) The company which made Teletype teletypewriters. Address: Skokie, Illinois, USA.
tetrahydrocannabinol — a compound, C 21 H 30 O 2 , that is the physiologically active component in cannabis preparations (marijuana, hashish, etc.) derived from the Indian hemp plant or produced synthetically. Abbreviation: THC.
tetrahydrogestrinone — a synthetic anabolic steroid. Formula: C21H28O2
the canterbury tales — an uncompleted sequence of tales by Chaucer, written for the most part after 1387.
the day of judgement — a Christian term for the ending of the world
the garment industry — the manufacturing of items of clothing
the metadata company — (company) A company founded by Jack E. Myers, originally known as Metadata Information Partners. Myers trademarked the word "Metadata" (unhyphenated with initial capital, as opposed to the general term metadata) to represent implementations of his MetaModel and to designate his company. Myers claims that a data and publication search in the summer of 1969 failed to discover any use either of the word "metadata" or "meta data". E-mail: <[email protected]>. Address: 444 West Ocean Blvd, Suite 1600, Long Beach CA 90802, USA.
the naughty nineties — (in Britain) the 1890s, considered to be a period of fun-loving and laxity, esp in sexual morals
the other way around — reversed
the whole nine yards — everything that is required; the whole thing
thermal conductivity — the amount of heat per unit time per unit area that can be conducted through a plate of unit thickness of a given material, the faces of the plate differing by one unit of temperature.
thermodynamic system — a system whose states of equilibrium can be specified by a few macroscopic properties.
thirty-nine articles — a set of formulas defining the doctrinal position of the Church of England, drawn up in the 16th century, to which the clergy are required to give general consent
three-dimensionality — having, or seeming to have, the dimension of depth as well as width and height.
to clean up your act — If someone who has been behaving badly cleans up their act, they start to behave in a more acceptable or responsible way.
to do your damnedest — If you say that you will do your damnedest to achieve something, you mean that you will try as hard as you can to do it, even though you think that it will take a lot of effort.
to fall on your feet — If you say that someone always falls or lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts.
to get your bearings — to find out where one is or to find out what one should do next
to get your own back — If you get your own back on someone, you have your revenge on them because of something bad that they have done to you.
to keep your balance — If you keep your balance, for example, when standing in a moving vehicle, you remain steady and do not fall over. If you lose your balance, you become unsteady and fall over.
to keep your hand in — If you do something to keep your hand in, you practise a skill or hobby occasionally in order to remain fairly good at it.
to land on your feet — If you say that someone always lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts.
to make up your mind — If you make up your mind or make your mind up, you decide which of a number of possible things you will have or do.
to spread your wings — If you spread your wings, you do something new and rather difficult or move to a new place, because you feel more confident in your abilities than you used to and you want to gain wider experience.
to stand your ground — If you stand your ground or hold your ground, you continue to support a particular argument or to have a particular opinion when other people are opposing you or trying to make you change your mind.
tom, dick, and harry — the ordinary person; people generally; everyone: They invited every Tom, Dick, and Harry to the party.

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