16-letter words containing a, u, s, o
- surrogate mother — a person who acts in the place of another person's biological mother.
- surround theater — a theater, concert hall, or the like, in which seats are arranged around or on all four sides of a central stage.
- surveyor's chain — a series of objects connected one after the other, usually in the form of a series of metal rings passing through one another, used either for various purposes requiring a flexible tie with high tensile strength, as for hauling, supporting, or confining, or in various ornamental and decorative forms.
- suspense account — an account in which items are temporarily entered until their final disposition is determined.
- swamp buttonwood — the buttonbush.
- swiss tournament — (in certain games and sports) a tournament system in which players are paired in each round according to the scores they then have, playing a new opponent each time. More players can take part than in an all-play-all tournament of the same duration
- synchronous dram — Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
- take one's lumps — a piece or mass of solid matter without regular shape or of no particular shape: a lump of coal.
- tandem computers — (company) A US computer manufacturer. Quarterly sales $544M, profits $49M (Aug 1994).
- taunus mountains — a mountain range in W Germany, bounded by the Rhine, Main, and Lahn river valleys. Highest peak, Grosser Feldberg. 2628 feet (801 meters).
- taurus mountains — a mountain range in S Turkey, parallel to the Mediterranean coast: crossed by the Cilician Gates; continued in the northeast by the Anti-Taurus range. Highest peak: Kaldi Dağ, 3734 m (12 251 ft)
- temperature spot — a sensory area in the skin that selectively responds to increased or decreased temperature; a warm spot or a cold spot.
- texas revolution — a revolutionary movement, 1832–36, in which U.S. settlers asserted their independence from Mexico and established the republic of Texas.
- the easy way out — least demanding solution
- the scots guards — a regiment of Guards Division of the British Army which dates back to 1642
- the south island — the largest island of New Zealand, separated from the North Island by the Cook Strait. Pop: 1 048 200 (2013 est). Area: 153 947 sq km (59 439 sq miles)
- the unobservable — something that cannot be observed
- thermal neutrons — a neutron with low kinetic energy, especially one slowed by the moderator in a nuclear reactor.
- thousand islands — a group of about 1500 islands between the US and Canada, in the upper St Lawrence River: administratively divided between the two countries
- to call it quits — If you say that you are going to call it quits, you mean that you have decided to stop doing something or being involved in something.
- to cut both ways — If you say that something cuts both ways, you mean that it can have two opposite effects, or can have both good and bad effects.
- to get your oats — to have sexual intercourse regularly
- to mean business — If you say that someone means business, you mean they are serious and determined about what they are doing.
- to move a muscle — If you say that someone did not move a muscle, you mean that they stayed absolutely still.
- to pass judgment — If you pass judgment on someone or something, you give your opinion about it, especially if you are making a criticism.
- to pass the buck — If you pass the buck, you refuse to accept responsibility for something, and say that someone else is responsible.
- to sow your oats — (of a young person) to behave in a rather uncontrolled way, esp by having a lot of sexual relationships
- to speak volumes — If something such as an action speaks volumes about a person or thing, it gives you a lot of information about them.
- tobacco industry — business of selling smoking products
- tokugawa iyeyasu — Tokugawa [taw-koo-gah-wah] /ˈtɔ kuˈgɑ wɑ/ (Show IPA), 1542–1616, Japanese general and public servant.
- toulouse-lautrec — Henri Marie Raymond de [ahn-ree ma-ree re-mawn duh] /ɑ̃ˈri maˈri rɛˈmɔ̃ də/ (Show IPA), 1864–1901, French painter and lithographer.
- transconductance — the ratio of a small change in anode current of an electron tube at a certain level of output to the corresponding small change of control-electrode voltage, usually expressed in mhos or micromhos.
- transculturation — acculturation.
- transilluminator — to cause light to pass through.
- transport number — that fraction of the total electric current that anions and cations carry in passing through an electrolytic solution.
- two-family house — a house designed for occupation by two families in contiguous apartments, as on separate floors.
- twofold purchase — a purchase using a double standing block and a double running block so as to give a mechanical advantage of four or five, neglecting friction, depending on whether the hauling is on the standing block or the running block.
- typhoid bacillus — the bacterium Salmonella typhosa, causing typhoid fever.
- ultramicroscopic — an instrument that uses scattering phenomena to detect the position of objects too small to be seen by an ordinary microscope.
- ultranationalism — extreme devotion to or advocacy of the interests of a nation, especially regardless of the effect on any other nations.
- ultranationalist — an advocate of ultranationalism.
- unaccomplishable — to bring to its goal or conclusion; carry out; perform; finish: to accomplish one's mission.
- uncinate process — a curved, bony process on certain ribs of birds that projects backward and overlaps the succeeding rib, serving to strengthen the thorax.
- unconstitutional — not constitutional; unauthorized by or inconsistent with the constitution, as of a country.
- unconversational — of, relating to, or characteristic of conversation: a conversational tone of voice.
- under bare poles — (of a sailing vessel) with no sails set
- undercompensated — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
- undiscriminatory — characterized by or showing prejudicial treatment, especially as an indication of bias related to age, color, national origin, religion, sex, etc.: discriminatory practices in housing; a discriminatory tax.
- unimpressionable — easily impressed or influenced; susceptible: an impressionable youngster.
- universalization — to make universal.