28-letter words containing a, s, h, i

internet research task force — (IRTF) The IRTF is chartered by the Internet Architecture Board to consider long-term Internet issues from a theoretical point of view. It has Research Groups, similar to Internet Engineering Task Force Working Groups, which are each tasked to discuss different research topics. Multi-cast audio/video conferencing and privacy enhanced mail are samples of IRTF output.
it's a good job/a good thing — If you say it's a good thing that something is the case, you mean that it is fortunate.
like a lamb to the slaughter — without resistance
machine-assisted translation — translation done by a human translator who uses computer software to assist with the translation
make one's hair stand on end — any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals; a pilus.
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation — a method of artificial respiration in which a person rhythmically blows air into the victim's lungs, either directly, by placing the mouth over the patient's, or through a tube.
national physical laboratory — a UK establishment founded in 1900 at Teddington to carry out research in physics and monitor standards of measurement
none the wiser/any the wiser — If you say that someone is none the wiser after an event or an explanation, or that nobody is any the wiser after it, you mean that they have failed to understand it, or are not fully aware of what happened.
not have room to swing a cat — to have very little space
ordinary-language philosophy — linguistic analysis.
ousterhout's false dichotomy — Ousterhout's dichotomy
peaches-and-cream complexion — a pale complexion with rosy cheeks
penny-wise and pound-foolish — careful about trifles but wasteful in large ventures
positron emission tomography — the process of producing a PET scan.
read the riot act to someone — to warn or reprimand someone severely
richardson's ground squirrel — a ground squirrel of the NW USA and Canada, Citellus richardsoni
rise/come back from the dead — If you say that someone or something rises or comes back from the dead, you mean that they become active or successful again after being inactive for a while.
scared to death scared stiff — If you are scared to death or scared stiff, you are extremely scared.
second law of thermodynamics — any of three principles variously stated in equivalent forms, being the principle that the change of energy of a thermodynamic system is equal to the heat transferred minus the work done (first law of thermodynamics) the principle that no cyclic process is possible in which heat is absorbed from a reservoir at a single temperature and converted completely into mechanical work (second law of thermodynamics) and the principle that it is impossible to reduce the temperature of a system to absolute zero in a finite number of operations (third law of thermodynamics)
second marquis of rockingham — Charles, 2nd Marquis of Rockingham [rok-ing-uh m] /ˈrɒk ɪŋ əm/ (Show IPA), 1730–82, British statesman: prime minister 1765–66, 1782.
secondary sex characteristic — any of a number of manifestations, as development of breasts or beard, muscularity, distribution of fat tissue, and change of pitch in voice, specific to each sex and incipient at puberty but not essential to reproduction.
shared-appreciation mortgage — a type of mortgage that carries a smaller down payment or lower interest rate than usual in return for the lender's sharing in the appreciation of the property at some future date, as at the time of its sale. Abbreviation: SAM.
sign one's own death warrant — A death warrant is an official document which orders that someone is to be executed as a punishment for a crime.
smooth endoplasmic reticulum — a network of tubular membranes within the cytoplasm of the cell, occurring either with a smooth surface (smooth endoplasmic reticulum) or studded with ribosomes (rough endoplasmic reticulum) involved in the transport of materials.
special theory of relativity — the state or fact of being relative.
sudden infant death syndrome — death from the sudden cessation of breathing (apnea) of a seemingly healthy infant, almost always during sleep, sometimes traceable to a chronic oxygen deficiency. Abbreviation: SIDS.
super video graphics adapter — Super Video Graphics Array
super video graphics adaptor — Super Video Graphics Array
systemic lupus erythematosus — an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the connective tissues, occurring mainly among middle-aged women, chiefly characterized by skin eruptions, joint pain, recurrent pleurisy, and kidney disease. Abbreviation: SLE.
systems network architecture — (networking) (SNA) IBM's proprietary high level networking protocol standard, used by IBM and IBM compatible mainframes. Also referred to as "Blue Glue", SNA is a bletcherous protocol once widely favoured at commercial shops. The official IBM definition is "that which binds blue boxes together." It may be relevant that Blue Glue is also a 3M product commonly used to hold down carpets in dinosaur pens.
take your eyes off something — When you take your eyes off the thing you have been watching or looking at, you stop looking at it.
the everglades national park — the Florida park established to preserve the flora and fauna of the Everglade swamps
the last word/the final word — If someone has the last word or the final word in a discussion, argument, or disagreement, they are the one who wins it or who makes the final decision.
the line of least resistance — If you take the line of least resistance in a situation, you do what is easiest, even though you think that it may not be the right thing to do. In American English, you usually talk about the path of least resistance.
the long and the short of it — the essential points or facts
the medical research council — a government body that uses public funds to finance research in medicine
the obscene publications act — a group of obscenity laws that determines what can be published in Britain
the world owes them a living — If you say that someone thinks that the world owes them a living, you are criticizing them because they think it is their right to have a comfortable life without having to make any effort at all.
the wrong side of the tracks — the unfashionable or poor district or stratum of a community
to come to a screeching halt — (of a motor vehicle) to stop suddenly, causing the brakes or tyres to produce a high-pitched sound
to give somebody a thick ear — to hit sb on the ear or head
to handle sb with kid gloves — to treat someone with great tact or caution
to know something for a fact — If you say that you know something for a fact, you are emphasizing that you are completely certain that it is true.
to play into someone's hands — If you play into someone's hands, you do something which they want you to do and which places you in their power.
to set your face against sth — You can say that someone has set their face against something to indicate that they are opposed to it, especially when you want to suggest that they are wrong.
to stand comparison with sth — If someone or something stands or bears comparison with another person or thing, they are as good, or almost as good.
to take something lying down — If someone takes an insult or attack lying down, they accept it without protesting.
until sb is blue in the face — If you say that someone can do something until they are blue in the face, you are emphasizing that however much they do it, it will not make any difference.
walden, or life in the woods — a book of philosophical observations (1854) by Thoreau.
what you see is what you get — (jargon) (WYSIWYG) /wiz'ee-wig/ Describes a user interface for a document preparation system under which changes are represented by displaying a more-or-less accurate image of the way the document will finally appear, e.g. when printed. This is in contrast to one that uses more-or-less obscure commands that do not result in immediate visual feedback. True WYSIWYG in environments supporting multiple fonts or graphics is rarely-attained; there are variants of this term to express real-world manifestations including WYSIAWYG (What You See Is *Almost* What You Get) and WYSIMOLWYG (What You See Is More or Less What You Get). All these can be mildly derogatory, as they are often used to refer to dumbed-down user-friendly interfaces targeted at non-programmers; a hacker has no fear of obscure commands (compare WYSIAYG). On the other hand, Emacs was one of the very first WYSIWYG editors, replacing (actually, at first overlaying) the extremely obscure, command-based TECO. See also WIMP.

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