16-letter words containing c, h, a, b
- hit a brick wall — unable to continue or make progress because of a hindrance
- horseback riding — activity: riding a horse
- hot-cathode tube — thermionic tube.
- huntington beach — a city in SW California, SE of Los Angeles.
- hydrobromic acid — a colorless or faintly yellow corrosive liquid, HBr, an aqueous solution of hydrogen bromide.
- jacques bonhomme — the contemptuous title given by the nobles to the peasants in the revolt of the Jacquerie in 1358 and adopted by the peasants in subsequent revolts.
- khakass republic — a constituent republic of S central Russia, formerly in Krasnoyarsk Territory: formed in 1930. Capital: Abakan. Pop: 546 100 (2002). Area: 61 900 sq km (23 855 sq miles)
- labtech notebook — (tool, product) Commercial data aquisition software.
- lord chamberlain — (in Britain) the chief official of the royal household
- lumberjack shirt — a thick checked shirt, as worn by lumberjacks
- machine readable — of or relating to data encoded on an appropriate medium and in a form suitable for processing by computer.
- machine washable — suitable for washing in a washing machine
- machine-readable — of or relating to data encoded on an appropriate medium and in a form suitable for processing by computer.
- man on horseback — a military leader who presents himself as the savior of the country during a period of crisis and either assumes or threatens to assume dictatorial powers.
- mönchen-gladbach — city in WC Germany, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia: pop. 266,000
- multi-way branch — switch statement
- munchen-gladbach — former name of Mönchengladbach.
- new smyrna beach — a town in NE Florida.
- non-alphabetical — in the order of the letters of the alphabet: alphabetical arrangement.
- non-carbohydrate — any of a class of organic compounds that are polyhydroxy aldehydes or polyhydroxy ketones, or change to such substances on simple chemical transformations, as hydrolysis, oxidation, or reduction, and that form the supporting tissues of plants and are important food for animals and people.
- non-cohabitation — to live together as if married, usually without legal or religious sanction.
- north palm beach — a town in E Florida.
- nubuck (leather) — tanned leather similar to suede, but with the nap on the grain side
- on the back foot — at a disadvantage; outmanoeuvred or outclassed by an opponent
- peach tree borer — the larva of any of several clearwing moths, as Sanninoidea exitiosa, that bore into the wood of the peach and other drupaceous trees.
- presence chamber — the special room in which a great personage, as a sovereign, receives guests, holds audiences, etc.
- psychobiological — the use of biological methods to study normal and abnormal emotional and cognitive processes, as the anatomical basis of memory or neurochemical abnormalities in schizophrenia.
- rainbow seaperch — an embiotocid fish, Hypsurus caryi, living off the Pacific coast of North America, having red, orange, and blue stripes on the body.
- reaction chamber — the chamber in a rocket engine in which the reaction or combustion of fuel occurs
- research library — a general or specialized library that collects materials for use in intensive research projects.
- rhabdomyosarcoma — a malignant tumor made up of striated muscle tissue.
- rich tea biscuit — any of various semisweet biscuits
- right about face — Military. a command, given to a soldier or soldiers at attention, to turn the body about toward the right so as to face in the opposite direction. the act of so turning in a prescribed military manner.
- round lake beach — a town in NE Illinois.
- roundabout chair — corner chair.
- run the blockade — to go past or through a blockade
- scarborough lily — a plant, Vallota speciosa, of the amaryllis family, native to southern Africa, having clusters of funnel-shaped, scarlet flowers.
- schaumburg-lippe — a former state in NW Germany.
- school librarian — a librarian who works in or is in charge of a school library
- scotch blackface — one of a Scottish breed of mountain sheep having a black face and growing long, coarse wool.
- showy crab apple — a large Japanese bush or tree, Malus floribunda, of the rose family, having red fruit and rose-colored flowers that fade to white.
- slap on the back — to congratulate
- stab in the back — to pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon: She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork.
- steamboat gothic — a florid architectural style suggesting the gingerbread-decorated construction of river boats of the Victorian period.
- stretcher bearer — a person who helps to carry a stretcher, esp in wartime
- stretcher-bearer — a person who helps carry a stretcher, as in removing wounded from a battlefield.
- submarine chaser — a small patrol vessel, 100–200 feet (30–60 meters) long, designed for military operations against submarines.
- subtropical high — one of several highs, as the Azores and Pacific highs, that prevail over the oceans at latitudes of about 30 degrees N and S. Also called subtropical anticyclone. Compare high (def 37).
- take the biscuit — Take the biscuit means the same as take the cake.
- teachable moment — a specific occurrence, situation, or experience that can be used to teach people about something more general: Her death created a teachable moment about prescription drug abuse.