16-letter words containing c, i, s, e
- same-day service — (humour, operating system) An ironic term used to describe long response time, particularly with respect to MS-DOS system calls (which ought to require only a tiny fraction of a second to execute). Such response time is a major incentive for programmers to write programs that are not well-behaved. See also PC-ism.
- sangre de cristo — a mountain range in S Colorado and N New Mexico: a part of the Rocky Mountains. Highest peak, Blanca Peak, 14,390 feet (4385 meters).
- santiago de cuba — a region in Ecuador, E of the Andes: the border long disputed by Peru.
- sauce americaine — a sauce prepared with tomatoes, garlic, wine, shallots, and herbs. See also à l’américaine.
- sb will be lucky — If you say that someone will be lucky to do or get something, you mean that they are very unlikely to do or get it, and will definitely not do or get any more than that.
- scar tissue code — (humour, programming) Old code that is commented out but still included in the current release.
- scarlet clematis — a slightly woody vine, Clematis texensis, of Texas, having bluish-green leaves, plumed fruit, and solitary, urn-shaped, scarlet-to-pink flowers.
- schaumburg-lippe — a former state in NW Germany.
- scheme of things — Someone's scheme of things is the way in which they think that things in their life should be organized.
- schiff's reagent — a solution of rosaniline and sulfurous acid in water, used to test for the presence of aldehydes.
- schlieren method — a method for detecting regions of differing densities in a clear fluid by photographing a beam of light passed obliquely through it.
- schmaltz herring — herring caught just before spawning, when it has much fat
- schneider trophy — a trophy for air racing between seaplanes of any nation, first presented by Jacques Schneider (1879–1928) in 1913; won outright by Britain in 1931
- school committee — (in New Zealand) a parent group selected to support a primary school
- school inspector — an official whose job is to inspect schools and to report on their quality and conditions
- school-age child — a child who is old enough to go to school
- schoolteacherish — showing characteristics thought to be typical of a schoolteacher, as strictness and primness.
- schouten islands — a group of islands belonging to Papua New Guinea, in the Pacific Oceans, off the N coast of New Guinea.
- schreiner finish — a lustrous surface imparted to a fabric by schreinerizing.
- schweizerdeutsch — Schwyzertütsch.
- score points off — to gain an advantage at someone else's expense
- scottish borders — a council area in SE Scotland, on the English border: created in 1996, it has the same boundaries as the former Borders Region: it is mainly hilly, with agriculture (esp sheep farming) the chief economic activity. Administrative centre: Newtown St Boswells. Pop: 108 280 (2003 est). Area: 4734 sq km (1827 sq miles)
- scottish terrier — one of a Scottish breed of small terriers having short legs and a wiry, steel-gray, brindled, black, sandy, or wheaten coat.
- scrovegni chapel — Arena Chapel.
- seating capacity — the number of people a place can seat
- second adventist — Adventist (def 1).
- second childhood — senility; dotage.
- second intention — See under intention (def 5b).
- secondary tissue — tissue derived from cambium.
- secular humanism — any set of beliefs that promotes human values without specific allusion to religious doctrines.
- secured creditor — a creditor who has a secured loan
- security analyst — a person who specializes in evaluating information regarding stocks and bonds.
- security blanket — a blanket or other familiar item carried especially by a young child to provide reassurance and a feeling of psychological security.
- security council — the division of the United Nations charged with maintaining international peace, composed of five permanent members (U.S., Russian Federation, France, United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China) and ten temporary members, each serving for two years.
- security manager — The security manager of a store is the person responsible for organizing all security in the store and to whom security guards report.
- security measure — a precaution taken against terrorism, espionage or other danger
- security officer — civilian, policeman or soldier who is responsible for security in a town or country
- security vetting — the process of investigating somebody to establish their trustworthiness
- sedimentary rock — rock formed from compacted minerals
- select committee — a committee, as of a legislative body, that is formed to examine and report on a specific bill or issue.
- selective memory — an ability to remember some facts while apparently forgetting others, especially when they are inconvenient
- selective strike — a partial strike against a particular area of a business or against one employer or a small number of employers in a collective bargaining situation
- seleucia trachea — an ancient city in SE Asia Minor, on the River Calycadnus (modern Goksu Nehri): captured by the Turks in the 13th century; site of present-day Silifke (Turkey)
- self-confinement — the act of confining.
- self-constituted — constituted as such by oneself or itself
- self-consumption — the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- self-containment — the state of being self-contained.
- self-cultivation — the act or art of cultivating.
- self-deliverance — suicide.
- self-deprecating — belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.