12-letter words containing a, w, l, s
- streetwalker — a prostitute who solicits on the streets.
- sunshine law — a law requiring a government agency to open its official meetings and records to the general public.
- swallow dive — swan dive.
- swamp azalea — an azalea, Rhododendron viscosum, of the eastern U.S., having fragrant, white to pink or sometimes red flowers.
- swamp locust — water locust.
- swamp mallow — a rose mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos.
- swash letter — an ornamental italic capital letter having a flourish extending beyond the body of the type.
- swashbuckler — a swaggering swordsman, soldier, or adventurer; daredevil.
- sweat glands — one of the minute, coiled, tubular glands of the skin that secrete sweat.
- sweater girl — a young woman with a shapely bosom, especially one who wears tight sweaters.
- sweet almond — the nutlike kernel of the fruit of either of two trees, Prunus dulcis (sweet almond) or P. dulcis amara (bitter almond) which grow in warm temperate regions.
- swell-headed — a vain or arrogant person.
- swelled head — an inordinately grand opinion of oneself; conceit.
- swim bladder — air bladder (def 2).
- swine plague — hemorrhagic septicemia of hogs, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella suiseptica, characterized by an accompanying infection of pneumonia.
- switch plate — a plate, usually of metal, ceramic, or plastic, covering a switch so that the knob or toggle protrudes.
- swivel chair — a chair whose seat turns around horizontally on a swivel.
- telesoftware — the transmission of computer programs on a teletext system
- the lowlands — a low generally flat region of central Scotland, around the Forth and Clyde valleys, separating the Southern Uplands from the Highlands
- the shallows — a shallow place in a body of water
- to draw lots — If people draw lots to decide who will do something, they each take a piece of paper from a container. One or more pieces of paper is marked, and the people who take marked pieces are chosen.
- to hold sway — If someone or something holds sway, they have great power or influence over a particular place or activity.
- to lay waste — If something or someone lays waste an area or town or lays waste to it, they completely destroy it.
- torts lawyer — a lawyer who specializes in tort cases
- tree swallow — a bluish-green and white swallow, Iridoprocne bicolor, of North America, that nests in tree cavities.
- unanswerable — not capable of being answered; not having a known or discoverable answer: an unanswerable question.
- unshadowable — not able to be shadowed
- urban sprawl — the uncontrolled spread of urban development into neighboring regions.
- verner's law — the statement by K. Verner of a regularity behind some apparent exceptions in the Germanic languages to Grimm's law, namely, that Proto-Germanic voiceless fricatives became voiced when between voiced sounds if the immediately preceding vowel was not accented in Proto-Indo-European.
- wages policy — a government policy setting wages and wage increases for workers, for example, setting minimum wage requirements
- waiting list — a list of persons waiting, as for reservations, appointments, living accommodations, or admission to a school.
- walk on eggs — the roundish reproductive body produced by the female of certain animals, as birds and most reptiles, consisting of an ovum and its envelope of albumen, jelly, membranes, egg case, or shell, according to species.
- walk spanish — to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion.
- walking bass — (in jazz piano) a left-hand accompaniment consisting of a continuous rhythm of four beats to the measure, usually with a repetitive melodic pattern.
- walking fish — any of various fishes able to survive and move about for short periods of time on land, as the mudskipper or climbing perch.
- walking shoe — a sturdy comfortable shoe worn by hillwalkers, etc
- walkingstick — a stick used for walking
- walkthroughs — Plural form of walkthrough.
- warrant sale — a sale of someone's personal belongings or household effects that have been seized to meet unpaid debts
- wash leather — a soft leather, usually made of sheepskin
- wash-leather — a soft leather, usually sheepskin, dressed in imitation of chamois.
- washing line — cord for hanging laundry to dry
- wastefulness — given to or characterized by useless consumption or expenditure: wasteful methods; a wasteful way of life.
- watchfulness — vigilant or alert; closely observant: The sentry remained watchful throughout the night.
- water closet — an enclosed room or compartment containing a toilet bowl fitted with a mechanism for flushing.
- water locust — a spiny tree, Gleditsia aquatica, of the legume family, native to the southeastern coastal U.S., having pinnate leaves, greenish-yellow, bell-shaped flowers, and long-stalked, thin pods.
- water pistol — a toy gun that shoots a stream of liquid.
- water shield — Also called water target. an aquatic plant, Brasenia schreberi, of the water lily family, having purple flowers, floating, elliptic leaves, and a jellylike coating on the underwater stems and roots.
- water slater — an aquatic isopod of the genus Asellus, common in weedy water
- water splash — a place where a stream runs over a road