15-letter words containing c, r, a, p, u
- seleucia pieria — an ancient port in Syria, on the River Orontes: the port of Antioch, of military importance during the wars between the Ptolemies and Seleucids; largely destroyed by earthquake in 526; site of present-day Samandaǧ (Turkey)
- simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
- snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
- special feature — an article differing from the normal format and focusing on a particular topic
- spinach-rhubarb — an Ethiopian plant, Rumex abyssinicus, of the buckwheat family, having leaves that are sometimes used as spinach and leafstalks sometimes used as rhubarb.
- splanchnopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the lower layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the underlying entoderm, which develops into the embryonic viscera.
- static pressure — the pressure exerted by a fluid that is not moving or flowing.
- streptobacillus — any of various bacilli that form in chains.
- sub-corporation — an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
- sulphurous acid — an unstable acid produced when sulphur dioxide dissolves in water: used as a preservative for food and a bleaching agent. Formula: H2SO3
- sumatra camphor — borneol.
- superbureaucrat — an important or highly powerful bureaucrat
- superexcitation — the act of exciting.
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- superplasticity — the phenomenon, exhibited by certain metals and alloys usually at high temperatures, of stretching to extreme lengths without breaking
- superspecialist — a highly skilled specialist
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
- surgical spirit — Surgical spirit is a liquid which is used to clean wounds or surgical instruments. It consists mainly of alcohol.
- tablet computer — a number of sheets of writing paper, business forms, etc., fastened together at the edge; pad.
- talcum (powder) — a powder for the body and face made of powdered, purified talc, usually perfumed
- talking picture — Older Use. a motion picture with accompanying synchronized speech, singing, etc.
- therapeutically — of or relating to the treating or curing of disease; curative.
- treacle pudding — a sponge cake with syrup on top
- tricuspid valve — the valve, consisting of three triangular flaps of tissue between the right auricle and ventricle of the heart, that keeps blood from flowing back into the auricle.
- tubal pregnancy — pregnancy that grows in fallopian tube
- turk's-cap lily — either of two lilies, Lilum martagon or L. superbum, having nodding flowers with the perianth segments rolled backward.
- ultra-patriotic — of, like, suitable for, or characteristic of a patriot.
- ultramicroscope — an instrument that uses scattering phenomena to detect the position of objects too small to be seen by an ordinary microscope.
- ultramicroscopy — the use of the ultramicroscope.
- umbrella policy — An umbrella policy is a policy that provides excess limits and gives additional excess coverage over the normal limits and coverage of liability policies.
- una corda pedal — soft pedal (def 1).
- unchoreographed — not choreographed; not pre-arranged or pre-prepared; unplanned
- uncomplementary — forming a complement; completing.
- uncomplimentary — of the nature of, conveying, or expressing a compliment, often one that is politely flattering: a complimentary remark.
- uncompromisable — that cannot or should not be compromised
- uncooperatively — in an uncooperative or unhelpful manner
- uncopyrightable — not able to be copyrighted
- undercapitalize — to provide an insufficient amount of capital for (a business enterprise).
- undercompensate — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
- unfair practice — unfair competition.
- unix conspiracy — [ITS] According to a conspiracy theory long popular among ITS and TOPS-20 fans, Unix's growth is the result of a plot, hatched during the 1970s at Bell Labs, whose intent was to hobble AT&T's competitors by making them dependent upon a system whose future evolution was to be under AT&T's control. This would be accomplished by disseminating an operating system that is apparently inexpensive and easily portable, but also relatively unreliable and insecure (so as to require continuing upgrades from AT&T). This theory was lent a substantial impetus in 1984 by the paper referenced in the back door entry. In this view, Unix was designed to be one of the first computer viruses (see virus) - but a virus spread to computers indirectly by people and market forces, rather than directly through disks and networks. Adherents of this "Unix virus" theory like to cite the fact that the well-known quotation "Unix is snake oil" was uttered by DEC president Kenneth Olsen shortly before DEC began actively promoting its own family of Unix workstations. (Olsen now claims to have been misquoted.)
- unparticipative — to take or have a part or share, as with others; partake; share (usually followed by in): to participate in profits; to participate in a play.
- unpatriotically — in a manner that is not enthusiastically supporting one's country and its ways of life
- unpractisedness — the quality or state of being unpractised
- unpronounceable — to enunciate or articulate (sounds, words, sentences, etc.).
- upperclasswoman — An upperclasswoman is a junior or senior student in a high school, college, or university.
- venture capital — funds invested or available for investment in a new or unproven business enterprise.
- vicar capitular — a cleric chosen by a cathedral chapter to manage a bishopric during a vacancy.
- wallpaper music — music that is pleasant but not interesting, so people do not pay much attention to it
- weimar republic — the German republic (1919–33), founded at Weimar.