15-letter words containing c, u, s, p, e
- pre-acquisition — the act of acquiring or gaining possession: the acquisition of real estate.
- pre-consumption — the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- preconstruction — the act or art of constructing.
- prejudicialness — the trait of being prejudicial
- pressure center — the central point of an atmospheric high or low.
- pressure cooker — a reinforced pot, usually of steel or aluminum, in which soups, meats, vegetables, etc., may be cooked quickly in heat above boiling point by steam maintained under pressure.
- pretty pictures — (scientific computation) The next step up from numbers. Interesting graphical output from a program that may not have any sensible relationship to the system the program is intended to model, but good for showing to management.
- procrustean bed — a plan or scheme to produce uniformity or conformity by arbitrary or violent methods.
- programme music — music that is intended to depict or evoke a scene or idea
- proscenium arch — the arch separating the stage from the auditorium
- pseudo-academic — of or relating to a college, academy, school, or other educational institution, especially one for higher education: academic requirements.
- pseudo-artistic — conforming to the standards of art; satisfying aesthetic requirements: artistic productions.
- pseudo-chemical — of, used in, produced by, or concerned with chemistry or chemicals: a chemical formula; chemical agents.
- pseudo-critical — inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily.
- pseudo-dramatic — of or relating to the drama.
- pseudo-romantic — of, relating to, or of the nature of romance; characteristic or suggestive of the world of romance: a romantic adventure.
- pseudo-suicidal — pertaining to, involving, or suggesting suicide.
- pseudocoelomate — having a pseudocoel.
- pseudopregnancy — Pathology, Veterinary Pathology. false pregnancy.
- 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
- public-spirited — having or showing an unselfish interest in the public welfare: a public-spirited citizen.
- punctiliousness — extremely attentive to punctilios; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.
- purchase ledger — a record of a company's purchases of goods and services showing the amounts paid and due
- pure land sects — Mahayana Buddhist sects venerating the Buddha as the compassionate saviour
- push one's luck — the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities: With my luck I'll probably get pneumonia.
- quasi-spherical — having the form of a sphere; globular.
- queen's proctor — a British judiciary officer who may intervene in probate, nullity, or divorce actions when collusion, suppression of evidence, or other irregularities are alleged.
- renal corpuscle — Malpighian body (sense 2)
- reported clause — A reported clause is a subordinate clause that indicates what someone said or thought. For example, in 'She said that she was hungry', 'she was hungry' is a reported clause.
- sale of produce — the selling of something that is produced, esp agricultural products
- samuel prescott — Samuel, 1751–77, U.S. patriot during the American Revolution: rode with Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn Colonists that British troops were marching from Boston, April 18, 1775.
- sauce espagnole — brown sauce.
- sb's cup of tea — If you say that someone or something is not your cup of tea, you mean that they are not the kind of person or thing that you like.
- scaphocephalous — of or relating to scaphocephalus
- 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.
- second republic — the republic established in France in 1848 and replaced by the Second Empire in 1852.
- secondary group — a group of people with whom one's contacts are detached and impersonal.
- security police — a police force responsible for maintaining order at a specific locale or under specific circumstances, as at an airport or factory.
- 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)
- self-production — produced by oneself or itself.
- sexual politics — the differences in the amount of power that male and female people have in a society or group
- simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
- 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.