23-letter words containing a, s, e, o

structural unemployment — unemployment caused by basic changes in the overall economy, as in demographics, technology, or industrial organization.
suprasegmental phonemes — phonemes or features of speech, as pitch, stress, and juncture, that may extend over and modify series of segmental phonemes
survival of the fittest — (not in technical use) natural selection.
sustainable development — supporting economy via renewable resources
symbolic interactionism — a theory that human interaction and communication is facilitated by words, gestures, and other symbols that have acquired conventionalized meanings.
system control language — (language) (SCL) The command language for the VME/B operating system on the ICL2900. SCL was block structured and supported strings, lists of strings ("superstrings"), integer, Boolean, and array types. You could trigger a block whenever a condition on a variable value occured. It supported macros and default arguments. Commands were treated like procedure calls.
take into consideration — take account of, allow for
take it into one's head — If somebody takes it into their head to do something, especially something strange or foolish, they suddenly decide to do it.
take sth in your stride — In British English, if you take a problem or difficulty in your stride, you deal with it calmly and easily. The American expression is take something in stride.
take sthing on the chin — If you say that someone took something on the chin, you mean that they accepted an unpleasant or difficult situation bravely and without making a lot of fuss about it.
talk someone's head off — to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking: to talk about poetry.
talk/speak of the devil — People say speak of the devil, or in British English talk of the devil, if someone they have just been talking about appears unexpectedly.
tennessee walking horse — an American breed of horse, marked by its stamina and trained to move at a fast running walk
thank one's lucky stars — any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky at night.
the chamber of deputies — the lower legislative assembly in some parliaments
the department of state — the United States federal department concerned with foreign policy
the haves and have-nots — the people who are very wealthy and the people who are very poor
the library of congress — the official library of the United States in Washington, DC. It houses extensive collections in all subject areas and formats, important historical documents, and is also a depository for copyrighted materials.
the royal naval reserve — the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom
the scottish parliament — the devolved national legislature of Scotland, located in Edinburgh
the taming of the shrew — a comedy (1594?) by Shakespeare.
the teaching profession — the profession of a teacher
the thrill of the chase — If you talk about the thrill of the chase, you are referring to the excitement that people feel when they are trying hard to get something.
the whys and wherefores — The whys and wherefores of something are the reasons for it.
thompson submachine gun — a portable, .45-caliber, automatic weapon designed to be fired from the shoulder or hip.
thousand and one nights — a collection of Eastern folk tales derived in part from Indian and Persian sources and dating from the 10th century a.d.
to be at your wit's end — If you say that you are at your wits' end, you are emphasizing that you are so worried and exhausted by problems or difficulties that you do not know what to do next.
to call a spade a spade — If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak clearly and directly about things, even embarrassing or unpleasant things.
to call someone's bluff — If you call someone's bluff, you tell them to do what they have been threatening to do, because you are sure that they will not really do it.
to change for the worse — If a situation changes for the worse, it becomes more unpleasant or more difficult.
to clap eyes on someone — To clap eyes on someone or something, or set or lay eyes on them, means to see them.
to come to a sticky end — If someone comes to a sticky end or meets a sticky end, they suffer very badly or die in an unpleasant way.
to draw the short straw — If you draw the short straw, you are chosen from a number of people to perform a job or duty that you will not enjoy.
to force someone's hand — If you force someone's hand, you force them to act sooner than they want to, or to act in public when they would prefer to keep their actions secret.
to get ahold of oneself — to force oneself to become calm and sensible after a shock or in a difficult situation
to get/put sb's back up — If someone or something puts your back up or gets your back up, they annoy you.
to go from bad to worse — If a situation goes from bad to worse, it becomes even more unpleasant or unsatisfactory.
to have feelings for sb — to be emotionally or sexually attracted to
to have your hands full — If you have your hands full with something, you are very busy because of it.
to hell in a handbasket — to one's doom
to keep a straight face — If you manage to keep a straight face, you manage to look serious, although you want to laugh.
to keep someone company — If you keep someone company, you spend time with them and stop them feeling lonely or bored.
to keep your nose clean — If you keep your nose clean, you behave well and stay out of trouble.
to make the best of sth — If you make the best of something, you accept an unsatisfactory situation cheerfully and try to manage as well as you can. In British English, you can also say that you make the best of a bad job.
to make your skin crawl — If something makes your skin crawl or makes your flesh crawl, it makes you feel shocked or disgusted.
to meet someone halfway — If you meet someone halfway, you accept some of the points they are making so that you can come to an agreement with them.
to outstay your welcome — If you say that someone outstays their welcome or overstays their welcome, you mean that they stay somewhere longer than they are wanted or expected to.
to pass the time of day — If you pass the time of day with someone, you have a short friendly conversation with them.
to pay through the nose — If you say that you paid through the nose for something, you are emphasizing that you had to pay what you consider too high a price for it.
to play for high stakes — to gamble on something very important

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