17-letter words containing c, o, s
- copious free time — (jargon) (Apple; originally from the introduction to Tom Lehrer's song "It Makes A Fellow Proud To Be A Soldier") Used ironically to indicate the speaker's lack of the quantity in question; a mythical schedule slot for accomplishing tasks held to be unlikely or impossible. Sometimes used to indicate that the speaker is interested in accomplishing the task, but believes that the opportunity will not arise. "I'll implement the automatic layout stuff in my copious free time." The phrase is also used for time reserved for bogus or otherwise idiotic tasks, such as implementation of bad chrome, or the stroking of suits. "I'll get back to him on that feature in my copious free time."
- coral honeysuckle — trumpet honeysuckle.
- coronal consonant — a consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue against the upper front teeth, or the gum just above it
- coronary arteries — either of two arteries that originate in the aorta and supply the heart muscle with blood.
- corporal of horse — a noncommissioned rank in the British Household Cavalry above that of sergeant and below that of staff sergeant
- corporate sponsor — a business that sponsors a particular type of event
- corpus cavernosum — either of two masses of erectile tissue in the penis of mammals
- corpus spongiosum — a mass of tissue that, with the corpora cavernosa, forms the erectile tissue of the penis of mammals
- correspondentship — The role or status of correspondent.
- cost-plus pricing — the setting of prices at the cost price plus a percentage
- costume jewellery — Costume jewellery is jewellery made from cheap materials.
- count one's beads — to pray with a rosary
- counter-espionage — Counter-espionage is the same as counter-intelligence.
- counter-signature — a signature added by way of countersigning.
- counteraccusation — An accusation made in reply to another accusation.
- counterchallenges — Plural form of counterchallenge.
- counterinsurgency — action taken by a government to counter the activities of rebels, guerrillas, etc
- counteroffensives — Plural form of counteroffensive.
- counterparty risk — the risk that a person who is a party to a contract will default on their obligations under that contract
- countersignatures — Plural form of countersignature.
- countersubversive — Also, subversionary [suh b-vur-zhuh-ner-ee, -shuh-] /səbˈvɜr ʒəˌnɛr i, -ʃə-/ (Show IPA). tending or intending to subvert or overthrow, destroy, or undermine an established or existing system, especially a legally constituted government or a set of beliefs.
- counterterrorists — Plural form of counterterrorist.
- course protractor — a navigational instrument for measuring the bearing of a course as given on a chart, having a disk calibrated in degrees and an arm pivoted about the center of the disk.
- court of sessions — any of state courts of criminal jurisdiction in California, New York, and a few other states.
- courtship display — behaviour that is aimed at attracting a mate
- cover your tracks — If someone covers their tracks, they hide or destroy evidence of their identity or their actions, because they want to keep them secret.
- cream one's jeans — the fatty part of milk, which rises to the surface when the liquid is allowed to stand unless homogenized.
- creature comforts — Creature comforts are the things that you need to feel comfortable in a place, for example good food and modern equipment.
- critical constant — any of three constants associated with the critical point of a pure element or compound.
- cross of lorraine — a cross with two horizontal bars above and below the midpoint of the vertical bar, the lower longer than the upper
- cross one's heart — to promise or pledge, esp by making the sign of a cross over one's heart
- 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.
- cross-correlation — the correlation between two sequences of random variables in a time series
- cross-examination — to examine by questions intended to check a previous examination; examine closely or minutely.
- cross-lot bracing — bracing extending from one side of an excavation to the opposite to retain the earth on both sides.
- cross-pollination — the transfer of pollen from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of another flower by the action of wind, insects, etc
- cross-utilization — to make use of in an additional or different way.
- crossover network — an electronic network in a loudspeaker system that separates the signal into two or more frequency bands, the lower frequencies being fed to a woofer, the higher frequencies to a tweeter
- cry in one's beer — to lament or complain in a maudlin manner
- cryopreservations — the storage of blood or living tissues at extremely cold temperatures, often -196 degrees Celsius.
- cryptic crossword — a crossword where each clue is a word puzzle
- cryptocrystalline — (of rocks) composed of crystals that can be distinguished individually only by the use of a polarizing microscope
- cryptosporidiosis — a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium, characterized by fever and gastrointestinal symptoms and typically spread via contaminated drinking water.
- culture diffusion — the spreading out of culture, culture traits, or a cultural pattern from a central point.
- customs brokerage — the work of a customs broker
- customs clearance — the permission to take goods into or out of a country once customs requirements have been satisfied
- cut a person dead — to ignore a person completely
- cutaneous quittor — a purulent infection of horses and other hoofed animals, characterized by an acute inflammation of soft tissue above the hoof and resulting in suppuration and sloughing of the skin and usually lameness.
- cypriot syllabary — a syllabic script in use on Cyprus in the first millennium b.c., used for the writing of Greek and of an unknown language.
- cytomegaloviruses — Plural form of cytomegalovirus.