16-letter words containing d, h, o, w
- lay down the law — the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.
- lord howe island — an island in the S Pacific, E of Australia: a dependency of New South Wales. 5 sq. mi. (13 sq. km).
- luck of the draw — 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.
- man of the world — a man who is widely experienced in the ways of the world and people; an urbane, sophisticated man.
- norwegian buhund — a slightly-built medium-sized dog of a breed with erect pointed ears and a short thick tail carried curled over its back
- not worth a damn — worthless
- on the bandwagon — on the popular or apparently winning side, as in an election
- on the downgrade — waning in importance, popularity, health, etc
- otherworldliness — The quality of being otherworldly.
- out of the woods — the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem.
- overhead railway — elevated railroad.
- put to the sword — to kill with a sword or swords
- redbank whiteoak — a city in S Tennessee.
- rochelle powders — (not in technical use) Seidlitz powders.
- round the wrekin — the long way round
- secondary growth — an increase in the thickness of the shoots and roots of a vascular plant as a result of the formation of new cells in the cambium.
- shakedown cruise — extortion, as by blackmail or threats of violence.
- 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
- shorthand writer — a person trained to write in shorthand
- show cause order — a court order issued to a party in a lawsuit, directing that party to appear to give reasons why a certain action should not be put into effect by the court.
- show-me attitude — a sceptical frame of mind
- the here and now — the present time
- the worried well — people who are healthy but are concerned about becoming ill and so take medication or see a medical practitioner when they don't need to
- the written word — writing rather than speaking
- this-worldliness — concern or preoccupation with worldly things and values.
- to draw the line — If you draw the line at a particular activity, you refuse to do it, because you disapprove of it or because it is more extreme than what you normally do.
- to hold your own — If you hold your own, you are able to resist someone who is attacking or opposing you.
- 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.
- unpublished work — a literary work that has not been reproduced for sale or publicly distributed.
- wash one's hands — to go to the lavatory
- washington, d. c — Booker T(aliaferro) [boo k-er tol-uh-ver] /ˈbʊk ər ˈtɒl ə vər/ (Show IPA), 1856–1915, U.S. reformer, educator, author, and lecturer.
- washington, d.c. — Booker T(aliaferro) [boo k-er tol-uh-ver] /ˈbʊk ər ˈtɒl ə vər/ (Show IPA), 1856–1915, U.S. reformer, educator, author, and lecturer.
- way of the world — a comedy of manners (1700) by William Congreve.
- weather advisory — advisory (def 5).
- well-upholstered — (of a person) fat
- what do you know — People sometimes say 'What do you know!' when they are very surprised about something.
- what's the odds? — what difference does it make?
- whatever sb does — You say whatever you do when giving advice or warning someone about something.
- wheelchair-bound — unable to walk through injury, illness, etc and relying on a wheelchair to move around
- white blood cell — any of various nearly colorless cells of the immune system that circulate mainly in the blood and lymph and participate in reactions to invading microorganisms or foreign particles, comprising the B cells, T cells, macrophages, monocytes, and granulocytes.
- white propaganda — propaganda that comes from the source it claims to come from
- white sandalwood — the fragrant heartwood of any of certain Asian trees of the genus Santalum, used for ornamental carving and burned as incense.
- white wood aster — a composite plant, Aster divaricatus, of North America, having flat-topped clusters of white ray flowers and growing in dry woods.
- white-eyed vireo — a vireo, Vireo griseus, of eastern North America, having olive, yellow, and white plumage, a yellow ring around each eye, and white irises.
- white-haired boy — a favourite; darling
- whole nine yards — a common unit of linear measure in English-speaking countries, equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, and equivalent to 0.9144 meter.
- wholeheartedness — fully or completely sincere, enthusiastic, energetic, etc.; hearty; earnest: a wholehearted attempt to comply.
- wide of the mark — If something such as a claim or estimate is wide of the mark, it is incorrect or inaccurate.
- wild goose chase — a wild or absurd search for something nonexistent or unobtainable: a wild-goose chase looking for a building long demolished.