16-letter words containing d, e, p, s, a
- self-disparaging — that disparages; tending to belittle or bring reproach upon: a disparaging remark.
- self-opinionated — conceited; having an inordinately high regard for oneself, one's own opinions, views, etc.
- seward peninsula — a peninsula in W Alaska, on Bering Strait.
- sex-and-shopping — (of a novel) belonging to a genre of novel in which the central character, a woman, has a number of sexual encounters, and the author mentions the name of many up-market products
- shared ownership — (in Britain) a form of house purchase whereby the purchaser buys a proportion of the dwelling, usually from a local authority or housing association, and rents the rest
- shepherd's plaid — a checkered black and white pattern
- sleeping draught — any drink containing a drug or agent that induces sleep
- sodium pentothal — the sodium salt of thiopental sodium.
- sodium perborate — a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, NaBO 2 ⋅3H 2 O or NaBO 3 ⋅4H 2 O, used chiefly as a bleaching agent and antiseptic.
- sodium phosphate — Also called monobasic sodium phosphate. a white, crystalline, slightly hygroscopic, water-soluble powder, NaH 2 PO 4 , used chiefly in dyeing and in electroplating.
- solid propellant — a rocket propellant in solid form, usually containing a mixture or combination of fuel and oxidizer.
- south plainfield — a city in N New Jersey.
- southern uplands — a hilly region extending across S Scotland: includes the Lowther, Moorfoot, and Lammermuir hills
- speak one's mind — give one's frank opinion
- spear-head spoon — diamond-point spoon.
- special delivery — (in the U.S. Postal Service) delivery of mail outside the regularly scheduled hours, by a special messenger, upon the payment of an extra fee.
- special handling — (in the U.S. Postal Service) the handling of third- and fourth-class mail as first-class upon the payment of a fee.
- special pleading — Law. pleading that alleges special or new matter in avoidance of the allegations made by the opposite side.
- spectacled cobra — Indian cobra.
- spiny-rayed fish — any of various fishes, as basses and perches, that have sharp, often pointed and usually rigid fin spines.
- spotted mackerel — a small mackerel, Scomberomorus queenslandicus, of northern Australian waters
- spotted redshank — a sandpiper, Tringa erythropus, which is a large wader with red legs
- spreader-ditcher — a machine for shaping and cleaning roadbeds and ditches and for freeing tracks of ice and snow by plowing and digging.
- spreading center — a linear zone in the sea floor along which magma rises and from which adjacent crustal plates are moving apart.
- spreading factor — a substance, as hyaluronidase, that promotes the diffusion of a material through body tissues
- stage production — a play or show which is performed on stage
- stalked puffball — a puffball-like mushroom of the genus Tulestoma, maturing in early winter.
- standing cypress — a plant, Ipomopsis rubra, of the southern U.S., having feathery leaves and clusters of red and yellow flowers.
- stannic sulphide — an insoluble solid compound of tin usually existing as golden crystals or as a yellowish-brown powder: used as a pigment. Formula: SnS2
- state department — state (def 12).
- stopped diapason — a full, rich outpouring of melodious sound.
- studio apartment — an apartment consisting of one main room, a kitchen or kitchenette, and a bathroom. Compare efficiency apartment.
- superfecundation — the fertilization of two or more ova discharged at the same ovulation by successive acts of sexual intercourse.
- suprarenal gland — adrenal gland.
- suspending agent — A suspending agent is a liquid in which a solid substance can be held in suspension.
- sustaining pedal — a pedal on a piano that when depressed with the foot raises the dampers and permits the strings to vibrate and sustain the tone.
- tandem computers — (company) A US computer manufacturer. Quarterly sales $544M, profits $49M (Aug 1994).
- tea and sympathy — a caring attitude, esp to someone in trouble
- the-card-players — a painting (1892) by Paul Cézanne.
- to get bad press — If someone or something gets bad press, they are criticized, especially in the newspapers, on television, or on radio. If they get good press, they are praised.
- to pass judgment — If you pass judgment on someone or something, you give your opinion about it, especially if you are making a criticism.
- to pay dividends — If something pays dividends, it brings advantages at a later date.
- to spend a penny — If someone says that they are going to spend a penny, they mean that they are going to go to the toilet.
- transpeptidation — the process of transferring an amino acid or group of amino acids from one compound to another.
- trap-door spider — any of several burrowing spiders, of the family Ctenizidae, that construct a tubular nest with a hinged lid.
- two-tailed pasha — a distinctive vanessid butterfly of S Europe, Charaxes jasius, having mottled brown wings with a yellow-orange margin and frilled hind edges
- twofold purchase — a purchase using a double standing block and a double running block so as to give a mechanical advantage of four or five, neglecting friction, depending on whether the hauling is on the standing block or the running block.
- type ii diabetes — diabetes (def 4).
- under bare poles — (of a sailing vessel) with no sails set
- undercompensated — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.