20-letter words containing b, u, o, e

rub up the wrong way — to arouse anger (in); annoy
ruby-crowned kinglet — an olive-gray, American kinglet, Regulus calendula, the male of which has an erectile, ruby crest.
saint john ambulance — an organization that provides first aid and first-aid training
scream bloody murder — Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder) and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder)
semiautobiographical — pertaining to or being a fictionalized account of an author's own life.
skull and crossbones — a representation of a front view of a human skull above two crossed bones, originally used on pirates' flags and now used as a warning sign, as in designating substances as poisons.
sodium metabisulfite — Sodium metabisulfite is a crystalline compound used as an antioxidant.
soke of peterborough — a former administrative unit of E central England, generally considered part of Northamptonshire or Huntingdonshire: absorbed into Cambridgeshire in 1974
spontaneous abortion — miscarriage (def 1).
spontaneous-abortion — Also called voluntary abortion. the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.
standard book number — International Standard Book Number. Abbreviation: SBN.
subjective intension — the associations that an expression has for an individual; the intension he believes it to have
subpoena duces tecum — a writ directing a person to appear in court and to bring some document described in the writ.
subscription edition — an edition of one or more volumes for which a number of prospective purchasers place orders, usually in advance of publication.
tchebycheff equation — a differential equation of the form (1 − x 2) d 2 y/dx 2 − x dy/dx + n 2 y = 0, where n is any nonnegative integer.
telephone subscriber — a person who subscribes to a telephone service
the beautiful people — rich, fashionable people in international high society
therapeutic abortion — abortion performed when a woman's pregnancy endangers her health.
to be brought to bed — to give birth (to)
to be on dinner duty — to be responsible for preparing an evening meal
to bear the brunt of — To bear the brunt or take the brunt of something unpleasant means to suffer the main part or force of it.
to bring up the rear — If a person or vehicle is bringing up the rear, they are the last person or vehicle in a moving line of them.
to burst into flames — If something bursts into flames or bursts into flame, it suddenly starts burning strongly.
to catch your breath — If something makes you catch your breath, it makes you take a short breath of air, usually because it shocks you.
to cross the rubicon — If you say that someone has crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they cannot change a decision or course of action.
to disturb the peace — If someone is accused of disturbing the peace, they are accused of behaving in a noisy and offensive way in public.
to get your bearings — to find out where one is or to find out what one should do next
to get your own back — If you get your own back on someone, you have your revenge on them because of something bad that they have done to you.
to give sb their due — You can say 'to give him his due', or 'giving him his due' when you are admitting that there are some good things about someone, even though there are things that you do not like about them.
to keep your balance — If you keep your balance, for example, when standing in a moving vehicle, you remain steady and do not fall over. If you lose your balance, you become unsteady and fall over.
to push the boat out — If you push the boat out, you spend a lot of money on something, especially in order to celebrate.
to tighten your belt — If you have to tighten your belt, you have to spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have.
to waste your breath — If someone says you are wasting your breath, they mean that the person you are talking to will not take any notice and so there is no point saying anything to them.
tomb of the unknowns — See under Unknown Soldier.
toothbrush moustache — a short narrow moustache, resembling the filaments of a toothbrush
tropical disturbance — a very weak, or incipient, tropical cyclone.
twiddle one's thumbs — to turn about or play with lightly or idly, especially with the fingers; twirl.
under/below strength — If an army or team is under strength or below strength, it does not have all the members that it needs or usually has.
unemployment benefit — an allowance of money paid, usually weekly, to an unemployed worker by a state or federal agency or by the worker's labor union or former employer during all or part of the period of unemployment.
upper income bracket — a grouping of the highest earning tax payers
wardrobe malfunction — an embarrassing situation caused by the clothes a person is wearing
wet-bulb thermometer — a thermometer having a bulb that is kept moistened when humidity determinations are being made with a psychrometer.
white bush (scallop) — a variety of summer squash having a saucer-shaped white fruit, scalloped around the edges
wilson cloud chamber — cloud chamber.
would you believe it — If you say would you believe it, you are emphasizing your surprise about something.
yellow-billed cuckoo — a North American cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus, that has a yellow bill and, unlike many cuckoos, constructs its own nest and rears its own young.

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