15-letter words containing c, u, s, i, p, n
- proscenium arch — the arch separating the stage from the auditorium
- pseudo-romantic — of, relating to, or of the nature of romance; characteristic or suggestive of the world of romance: a romantic adventure.
- pseudoscientist — a person who practises pseudoscience or who falsely assumes the title of scientist
- public interest — the welfare or well-being of the general public; commonwealth: health programs that directly affect the public interest.
- public nuisance — act, thing: anti-social
- public speaking — the act of delivering speeches in public.
- public spending — expenditure by central government, local authorities, and public enterprises
- publicity stunt — something done to attract publicity
- puffin crossing — a UK pedestrian road crossing with traffic lights signalling red to stop the traffic flow when pedestrians are seen on the crossing by infrared detectors. The green signal reappears when no pedestrians are seen on the crossing
- pulchritudinous — physically beautiful; comely.
- punctiliousness — extremely attentive to punctilios; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.
- schopenhauerian — Arthur [ahr-too r] /ˈɑr tʊər/ (Show IPA), 1788–1860, German philosopher.
- schopenhauerism — the philosophy of Schopenhauer, who taught that only the cessation of desire can solve the problems arising from the universal impulse of the will to live.
- scpi consortium — (body) A body established to promote Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments. Address: 8380 Hercules Drive, Suite P3, La Mesa, CA 91942, USA.
- second republic — the republic established in France in 1848 and replaced by the Second Empire in 1852.
- self-production — produced by oneself or itself.
- situs picketing — common situs picketing.
- sleeve coupling — a cylinder joining the ends of two lengths of shafting or pipe.
- 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.
- spanish customs — irregular practices among a group of workers to gain increased financial allowances, reduced working hours, etc
- special student — a student who is not seeking a degree but enrols in a course, esp to gain academic credits
- 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.
- spinous process — a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.
- spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
- 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.
- super-efficient — performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: a reliable, efficient assistant.
- superconfidence — great or extreme confidence, overconfidence
- superconvenient — highly convenient
- superefficiency — the quality or condition of being superefficient
- superexcitation — the act of exciting.
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- superintendence — a district or place under a superintendent.
- superintendency — a district or place under a superintendent.
- supreme council — the legislature of the former Soviet Union and its successor states, consisting of an upper house (Soviet of the Union or Council of the Union) whose delegates are elected on the basis of population, and a lower house (Soviet of Nationalities or Council of Nationalities) whose delegates are elected to represent the various nationalities.
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
- synectics group — a group of people of varied background that meets to attempt creative solutions of problems through the unrestricted exercise of imagination and the correlation of disparate elements.
- unapostolically — in an unapostalic manner
- uncompassionate — having or showing compassion: a compassionate person; a compassionate letter.
- uncomplaisantly — in an uncomplaisant manner
- uncomprehensive — of large scope; covering or involving much; inclusive: a comprehensive study of world affairs.
- uncompromisable — that cannot or should not be compromised
- uncorresponding — identical in all essentials or respects: corresponding fingerprints.
- under suspicion — suspected of a crime
- undisciplinable — unable to be disciplined or controlled
- 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.)
- unopportunistic — adhering to a policy of opportunism; practicing opportunism.
- unphilosophical — not adhering to philosophical theory or principles
- unpolished rice — a partly refined rice, hulled and deprived of its germ but retaining some bran.
- unpractisedness — the quality or state of being unpractised
- unsophisticated — not sophisticated; simple; artless.