17-letter words containing a, t, l, y
- rift valley fever — a highly infectious viral disease of humans and animals, transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects, occurring in Africa and characterized in humans by headache, fever, eye discomfort, and muscle aches, progressing in some cases to encephalitis, blindness, or internal bleeding.
- rotary cultivator — a machine for breaking up and tilling soil, consisting of a series of blades mounted on a revolving power-driven shaft
- royal institution — a British society founded in 1799 for the dissemination of scientific knowledge
- sanitary landfill — landfill.
- saved by the bell — a hollow instrument of cast metal, typically cup-shaped with a flaring mouth, suspended from the vertex and rung by the strokes of a clapper, hammer, or the like.
- say the unsayable — to express an opinion thought to be too controversial to mention
- scentless mayweed — a similar and related plant, Matricaria maritima, with scentless leaves
- secondary quality — one of the qualities attributed by the mind to an object perceived, such as color, temperature, or taste.
- secretary-general — the head or chief administrative officer of a secretariat.
- semi-permeability — permeable only to certain small molecules: a semipermeable membrane.
- shorthold tenancy — letting of a dwelling for between one and five years at a fair rent
- shuttle diplomacy — diplomatic negotiations carried out by a mediator who travels back and forth between the negotiating parties.
- situational irony — irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.
- sodium salicylate — a white, crystalline compound, C 7 H 5 NaO 3 , soluble in water, alcohol, and glycerol: used in medicine as an analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory, and as a preservative.
- sorolla y bastida — Joaquín [hwah-keen] /ʰwɑˈkin/ (Show IPA), 1863–1923, Spanish painter.
- spastic paralysis — a condition in which the muscles affected are marked by tonic spasm and increased tendon reflexes.
- spatial frequency — the measure of fine detail in an optical image in terms of cycles per millimetre
- spectroscopically — an optical device for producing and observing a spectrum of light or radiation from any source, consisting essentially of a slit through which the radiation passes, a collimating lens, and an Amici prism.
- spectrum analyser — an instrument that splits an input waveform into its frequency components, which are then displayed
- spectrum analysis — the determination of the constitution or condition of bodies and substances by means of the spectra they produce.
- split keyboarding — the act or practice of editing data from one terminal on another terminal
- split personality — multiple personality.
- statue of liberty — a large copper statue, on Liberty Island, in New York harbor, depicting a woman holding a burning torch: designed by F. A. Bartholdi and presented to the U.S. by France; unveiled 1886.
- statutory holiday — a public holiday; a holiday all workers are entitled to
- stereolithography — a process for creating three-dimensional objects using a computer-controlled laser to build up the required structure, layer by layer, from a liquid photopolymer that solidifies.
- strawberry blonde — woman: with reddish fair hair
- structural survey — an examination of a property carried out by surveyor which should reveal any problems with the building
- stymphalian birds — a flock of predacious birds of Arcadia that were driven away and killed by Hercules as one of his labors.
- subclavian artery — either of a pair of arteries, one on each side of the body, that carry the main supply of blood to the arms.
- sunday supplement — a special section incorporated in the Sunday editions of many newspapers, often containing features on books, celebrities, home entertainment, gardening, and the like.
- supply management — business purchasing
- synchronistically — coincidence in time; contemporaneousness; simultaneousness.
- tapestry brussels — a carpet made with three-ply or four-ply worsted yarn drawn up in uncut loops to form a pattern over the entire surface (body Brussels) or made of worsted or woolen yarns on which a pattern is printed (tapestry Brussels)
- terminal capacity — The terminal capacity is the volume which can be stored in a terminal (= building or area with tanks).
- terminal velocity — Physics. the velocity at which a falling body moves through a medium, as air, when the force of resistance of the medium is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force of gravity. the maximum velocity of a body falling through a viscous fluid.
- tertiary syphilis — the third stage of syphilis, characterized by involvement of the internal organs, especially the brain, spinal cord, heart, and liver.
- thabana-ntlenyana — a mountain in Lesotho: the highest peak of the Drakensberg Mountains. Height: 3482 m (11 425 ft)
- the alpine valley — a straight fracture on the moon that cuts the Alps in two
- the black country — the formerly heavily industrialized region of central England, northwest of Birmingham
- the death penalty — capital punishment
- the evil day/hour — If someone is putting off the evil day or the evil hour, they have to do something unpleasant and are trying to avoid doing it for as long as possible.
- the factory floor — all the workers in a factory
- the good old days — When people refer to the good old days, they are referring to a time in the past when they think that life was better than it is now.
- the lord's prayer — the, the prayer given by Jesus to His disciples, and beginning with the words Our Father. Matt. 6:9–13; Luke 11:2–4.
- the olympic flame — the flame that is symbolically lit at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia and transported by relay to the place where the Olympic Games are to be held. It is used to ignite a fire in a cauldron that will burn throughout the Games
- the pennsylvanian — the Pennsylvanian period or rock system, equivalent to the Upper Carboniferous of Europe
- to feel your oats — to feel exuberant or high-spirited
- to play it by ear — If you play it by ear, you decide what to say or do in a situation by responding to events rather than by following a plan which you have decided on in advance.
- to play the field — If someone plays the field, they have a number of different romantic or sexual relationships.
- to play with fire — If you say that someone is playing with fire, you mean that they are doing something dangerous that may result in great harm for them and cause many problems.