16-letter words containing a, w
- great horned owl — a large, brown-speckled owl, Bubo virginianus, common in the Western Hemisphere, having prominent ear tufts.
- growth potential — capability of expanding
- growth substance — any substance, produced naturally by a plant or manufactured commercially, that, in very low concentrations, affects plant growth; a plant hormone
- gun control laws — the laws that restrict the possession and use of guns
- guy fawkes night — In Britain, Guy Fawkes Night is the evening of 5th November, when many people have parties with bonfires and fireworks. It began as a way of remembering the attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Guy Fawkes Night is often referred to as 'Bonfire Night'.
- hairy woodpecker — a North American woodpecker, Picoides villosus, resembling but larger than the downy woodpecker.
- hammer (away) at — to work continuously or energetically at
- hand screw clamp — a screw that can be tightened by the fingers, without the aid of a tool.
- hang around with — to associate or socialize with
- hanging wardrobe — a wardrobe containing a rail with a large amount of space underneath, so that clothes can be hung on hangers placed onto the rail
- hard-packed snow — snow which becomes very firmly packed as it becomes refrozen due to cold weather conditions rather than melting
- have a talk with — discuss
- have a word with — discuss
- have in the wind — to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent
- have issues with — If someone has issues with a particular aspect of their life, they have problems connected with it.
- have the wood on — to have an advantage over
- hawaiian gardens — a town in SW California.
- hawksbill turtle — a sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, the shell of which is the source of tortoise shell: an endangered species.
- hawthorne effect — a positive change in the performance of a group of persons taking part in an experiment or study due to their perception of being singled out for special consideration.
- heavy with child — pregnant
- here we go again — You use expressions such as 'here we go' and 'here we go again' in order to indicate that something is happening again in the way that you expected, especially something unpleasant.
- hesitation waltz — a waltz based on the frequent use of a step that consists of a pause and glide.
- high wire artist — a performer of a high-wire act
- high-level waste — radioactive waste material, such as spent nuclear fuel initially having a high activity and thus needing constant cooling for several decades by its producers before it can be reprocessed or treated
- hit a brick wall — unable to continue or make progress because of a hindrance
- hole in the wall — an opening through something; gap; aperture: a hole in the roof; a hole in my sock.
- hole-in-the-wall — A hole-in-the-wall machine is a machine built into the wall of a bank or other building, which allows people to take out money from their bank account by using a special card.
- holographic will — a will that is entirely in the handwriting of the testator: in some states recognized as valid without the attestation of witnesses.
- hookworm disease — any of certain bloodsucking nematode worms, as Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, parasitic in the intestine of humans and other animals.
- hot-water bottle — a bag, usually of rubber, for holding hot water to apply warmth to some part of the body, as the feet.
- how's that for…? — is this satisfactory as regards…?
- hudsonian godwit — any of several large, widely distributed shorebirds of the genus Limosa, as the New World L. haemastica (Hudsonian godwit) having a long bill that curves upward slightly.
- icterine warbler — a European variety of tree warbler (Hippolais icterina )
- if it wasn't for — If you talk about what would happen if it wasn't for someone or something, you mean that they are the only thing that is preventing it from happening.
- immigration laws — regulations on incoming foreigners
- implied warranty — a warranty not stated explicitly by the seller of merchandise or real property but presumed for reasons of commercial or legal custom (distinguished from express warranty).
- in a brown study — in a reverie or daydream
- in ones and twos — You can use in ones and twos to indicate that people do things or something happens gradually and in small groups.
- in so many words — a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Words are composed of one or more morphemes and are either the smallest units susceptible of independent use or consist of two or three such units combined under certain linking conditions, as with the loss of primary accent that distinguishes black·bird· from black· bird·. Words are usually separated by spaces in writing, and are distinguished phonologically, as by accent, in many languages.
- in someone's way — manner, mode, or fashion: a new way of looking at a matter; to reply in a polite way.
- in the meanwhile — until then, for now
- in the shadow of — very close to; verging upon
- in the worst way — bad or ill in the highest, greatest, or most extreme degree: the worst person.
- in-law apartment — a self-contained living area within a single-family home, as for an aging parent.
- inclined railway — a cable railway used on particularly steep inclines unsuitable for normal adhesion locomotives
- indian wrestling — arm wrestling
- industrial waste — waste materials left over from a manufacturing process in industrial buildings such as factories and mines
- invisible shadow — (in architectural shades and shadows) a three-dimensional space occupied by the shadow projected by a solid and within which a surface is in shadow.
- it is as well to — You say it is as well to think or do something when you are advising someone to think in a particular way or to take a particular action.
- it's all up with — there is no further hope for; the end is near for