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

statutory maternity pay — the maternity pay a woman is legally entitled to
stereospecific catalyst — a catalyst for stereospecific chemical reactions
structural anthropology — a school of anthropology founded by Claude Lévi-Strauss and based loosely on the principles of structural linguistics.
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
sustainable development — supporting economy via renewable resources
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.
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 scottish parliament — the devolved national legislature of Scotland, located in Edinburgh
the teaching profession — the profession of a teacher
thompson submachine gun — a portable, .45-caliber, automatic weapon designed to be fired from the shoulder or hip.
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 clap eyes on someone — To clap eyes on someone or something, or set or lay eyes on them, means to see them.
to get/put sb's back up — If someone or something puts your back up or gets your back up, they annoy you.
to jump to a conclusion — If you say that someone jumps to a conclusion, you are critical of them because they decide too quickly that something is true, when they do not know all the facts.
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 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
to send someone packing — If you send someone packing, you make them go away.
to wipe the slate clean — If you wipe the slate clean, you decide to forget previous mistakes, failures, or debts and to start again.
transplantation antigen — a histocompatibility antigen identified by its effect on the rejection of transplanted cells or tissues.
transverse presentation — presentation in which the fetus is turned with its long axis across the mouth of the uterus, at right angles to the axis of the birth canal.
triple expansion engine — (formerly) a steam engine in which the steam is expanded in three stages in cylinders of increasing diameter to accommodate the increasing volume of the steam
turn-and-slip indicator — bank-and-turn indicator.
unincorporated business — a privately owned business, often owned by one person who has unlimited liability as the business is not legally registered as a company
unipress software, inc. — (company) A developer and distributor of Unix software. They produce PC-UNIX connectivity software, development tools and applications and provide technical support and maintenance, porting services, training and consulting.
variable contrast paper — printing paper in which the contrast of the image is controlled by the color of the printing light.
volumetric displacement — the volume of air per revolution that passes through a mechanical pump when the pressure at the intake and the exhaust is the same as that of the atmosphere
voyageurs national park — a national park in N Minnesota. 343 sq. mi. (888 sq. km).
war manpower commission — the board (1942–45) that regulated the most efficient use of labor during World War II. Abbreviation: WMC.
when the chips are down — a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.
whet someone's appetite — If someone or something whets your appetite for a particular thing, they increase your desire to have it or know about it, especially by giving you an idea of what it is like.
white-coat hypertension — the phenomenon of having elevated blood pressure only during a medical consultation

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