17-letter words containing c, o, u, n, t
- rocket propulsion — propulsion of an object by thrust developed by a rocket.
- roll with a punch — to move in the same direction as a punch thrown at one so as to lessen its force
- round-trip ticket — a ticket entitling a passenger to travel to his or her destination and back again
- run out the clock — to maintain control of the ball in the closing minutes of a game
- safety precaution — a precaution that is taken in order to ensure that something is safe and not dangerous
- sanctimoniousness — making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc.: They resented his sanctimonious comments on immorality in America.
- sanctions-busting — the deliberate disregarding of sanctions that are in force against a state, organization, etc
- sanctum sanctorum — the holy of holies of the Biblical tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem.
- sawatch mountains — range of the Rocky Mountains, in central Colo.: highest peak, Elbert
- scan-in, scan-out — scan design
- second lieutenant — an Army, Air Force, or Marine officer of the lowest commissioned rank. Compare ensign (def 4).
- secondary product — a product that is not the main product of an industry; a by-product
- secondary quality — one of the qualities attributed by the mind to an object perceived, such as color, temperature, or taste.
- self-constituting — to compose; form: mortar constituted of lime and sand.
- self-introduction — the act of introducing or the state of being introduced.
- self-purification — a natural process of purifying, as the ability of a body of water to rid itself of pollutants.
- self-renunciation — renunciation of one's own will, interests, etc.
- self-reproduction — the act or process of reproducing.
- senatus consultum — a decree of the senate of ancient Rome.
- shirt-tail cousin — a distant cousin
- shoot one's cuffs — to expose one's shirt cuffs beyond the coat sleeves
- shouting distance — hailing distance.
- situations vacant — Situations Vacant is the title of a column or page in a newspaper where jobs are advertised.
- smoothing circuit — a circuit used to remove ripple from the output of a direct current power supply
- social accounting — the analysis of the economy by sectors leading to the calculation and publication of economic statistics, such as gross national product and national income
- socratic elenchus — the drawing out of the consequences of a position in order to show them to be contrary to some accepted position
- sound effects man — a man who produces sounds artificially or reproduces them from a recording, etc, to create a theatrical effect, such as the bringing together of two halves of a hollow coconut shell to simulate a horse's gallop. Such sound effects are used in plays, films, etc
- sound spectrogram — a graphic representation, produced by a sound spectrograph, of the frequency, intensity, duration, and variation with time of the resonance of a sound or series of sounds.
- south sea company — a British joint stock company that traded in South America in the 18th century. The South Sea Company took over the national debt in return for a monopoly of trade with the South Seas, causing feverish speculation in their stocks, and a financial crash in 1720 (the South Sea Bubble)
- special education — education that is modified or particularized for those with singular needs, as disabled or maladjusted people, slow learners, or gifted children.
- spot announcement — a brief radio or television announcement, usually an advertisement, made by an individual station during or after a network program.
- stand-up comedian — performer: tells jokes
- standard function — a subprogram provided by a translator that carries out a task, for example the computation of a mathematical function, such as sine, square root, etc
- stannous chloride — a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, SnCl 2 ⋅2H 2 O, used chiefly as a reducing and tinning agent, and as a mordant in dyeing with cochineal.
- stay of execution — If you are given a stay of execution, you are legally allowed to delay obeying an order of a court of law.
- storm in a teacup — a violent fuss or disturbance over a trivial matter
- stretch limousine — a limousine that has been lengthened to provide extra seating accommodation and more legroom
- stretching course — (in brickwork) a course of stretchers.
- subscription rate — the price charged for a subscription
- suction lipectomy — the removal of fatty tissue by making a small incision in the skin, loosening the fat layer, and withdrawing it by suction.
- sufficient reason — the principle that nothing happens by pure chance, but that an explanation must always be available
- supercolumniation — the placing of one order of columns above another.
- superconductivity — the phenomenon of almost perfect conductivity shown by certain substances at temperatures approaching absolute zero. The recent discovery of materials that are superconductive at temperatures hundreds of degrees above absolute zero raises the possibility of revolutionary developments in the production and transmission of electrical energy.
- support mechanism — any formal system or method of providing support or assistance
- synchronous motor — a synchronous machine that acts as a motor.
- synchronous orbit — an orbit in which the orbital period of a satellite is identical to the spin period of the central body
- taconic mountains — a mountain range in SE New York, W Massachusetts, and SW Vermont, a highly eroded part of the Appalachian system. Highest peak, Mount Equinox, in Vermont 3816 feet (1163 meters).
- take into account — an oral or written description of particular events or situations; narrative: an account of the meetings; an account of the trip.
- take into custody — to arrest
- teacher education — training to become a teacher, usually at an institution of higher education