21-letter words containing a, s, o

the antipodes islands — a group of small uninhabited islands in the South Pacific, southeast of and belonging to New Zealand. Area: 62 sq km (24 sq miles)
the assessment method — a way of providing evidence that students' knowledge and learning match the aims of a course
the barber of seville — Italian Il barbiere di Siviglia. a comic opera (1816) by Gioacchino Rossini based on a comedy (1775) by Beaumarchais.
the central provinces — the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec
the comrades marathon — an annual long-distance race run every year on the 16th of June from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, a distance of approximately 90 kilometres (56 miles)
the corncracker state — a nickname for the state of Kentucky
the executive mansion — the White House
the fall of the cards — the chance distribution of cards in a given deal
the fast track to sth — the quickest or most direct route or system
the household cavalry — a group of British soldiers on horseback who have the job of protecting the king or queen and their family
the lower vertebrates — relatively simple and primitive vertebrates
the press association — the national news agency for the United Kingdom and Ireland
the probation service — a criminal justice service that is mainly responsible for dealing with offenders by placing them under the supervision of a probation officer
the royal scots greys — (formerly) a British cavalry regiment, the Second Dragoons
the scout association — a worldwide movement for boys or (in some countries) girls, founded as the Boy Scouts in England in 1908 by Lord Baden-Powell with the aim of developing character and responsibility
the shipping forecast — a radio broadcast made by the BBC of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the British Isles
the stationery office — (in the UK) the company that supplies the civil service with all its office supplies, machinery, printing and binding, etc
the throwaway society — a society full of excessive consumption and waste of food, products, etc
the women's land army — a unit of women recruited to do agricultural work in the United Kingdom during World War I and World War II
theater of operations — the part of the theater of war, including a combat zone and a communications zone, that is engaged in military operations and their support.
theater of the absurd — theater in which standard or naturalistic conventions of plot, characterization, and thematic structure are ignored or distorted in order to convey the irrational or fictive nature of reality and the essential isolation of humanity in a meaningless world.
theatre of the absurd — drama in which normal conventions and dramatic structure are ignored or modified in order to present life as irrational or meaningless
theoretical physicist — a scientist who studies theoretical physics
thermal decomposition — Thermal decomposition is the process in which a chemical species breaks down when its temperature is increased.
thermal power station — a power station in which heat is converted into electricity
threshold wage policy — a policy whereby wages are increased in accordance with inflation
throw one's hat at it — to give up all hope of getting or achieving something
throw sb a curve ball — If someone throws you a curve or throws you a curve ball, they surprise you by doing something that you do not expect.
throw someone a curve — a continuously bending line, without angles.
time and motion study — the systematic investigation and analysis of the motions and the time required to perform a specific operation or task with a view to seeking more efficient methods of production as well as setting time standards.
to be a hospital case — if you say that someone or something is a hospital case, you mean that they need urgent help because they are doing very badly
to be arrayed against — to be opposed to
to be hard luck on sb — to be unfortunate or unlucky for someone
to be in dire straits — to be in a position of acute difficulty
to bend someone's ear — If you say that someone is bending your ear about something, you mean that they keep talking to you about it because they think it is important; used especially when you are irritated by this.
to box someone's ears — If someone boxes a child's ears, they hit them on the side of their head as a punishment.
to change the subject — When someone involved in a conversation changes the subject, they start talking about something else, often because the previous subject was embarrassing.
to feather one's nest — If you say that someone is feathering their nest, you mean that they are getting a lot of money out of something, so that they can lead a comfortable life.
to get back to basics — to revert to a simpler method, eg of living or doing business
to have green fingers — If someone has green fingers, they are very good at gardening and their plants grow well.
to hit the bookstands — (of a book) to be published
to kick someone's ass — To kick ass or to kick someone's ass means to show them that you are angry with them, either by telling them or by using physical force.
to lay something bare — If you lay something bare, you uncover it completely so that it can then be seen.
to mix your metaphors — If you mix your metaphors, you use two conflicting metaphors. People do this accidentally, or sometimes deliberately as a joke.
to move the goalposts — If you accuse someone of moving the goalposts, you mean that they have changed the rules in a situation or an activity, in order to gain an advantage for themselves and to make things difficult for other people.
to play second fiddle — If you play second fiddle to someone, your position is less important than theirs in something that you are doing together.
to rear its ugly head — If something unpleasant rears its head or rears its ugly head, it becomes visible or noticeable.
to risk life and limb — If someone risks life and limb, they do something very dangerous that may cause them to die or be seriously injured.
to sink without trace — If you say that someone or something sinks without trace or sinks without a trace, you mean that they stop existing or stop being successful very suddenly and completely.
to sow your wild oats — If a young person sows their wild oats, they behave in a rather uncontrolled way, especially by having a lot of sexual relationships.

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