15-letter words containing d, i, e, t
- bits per second — (communications, unit) (bps, b/s) The unit in which data rate is measured. For example, a modem's data rate is usually measured in kilobits per second. In 1996, the maximum modem speed for use on the PSTN was 33.6 kbps, rising to 56 kbps in 1997. Note that kilo- (k), mega- (M), etc. in data rates denote powers of 1000, not 1024.
- black and white — In a black and white photograph or film, everything is shown in black, white, and grey.
- black-and-white — displaying only black and white tones; without color, as a picture or chart: a black-and-white photograph.
- blank cartridge — a cartridge containing powder but no bullet: used in battle practice or as a signal
- blasting powder — a form of gunpowder made with sodium nitrate instead of saltpeter, used chiefly for blasting rock, ore, etc.
- blending center — A blending center is a place for mixing fluids, gases, and powders.
- blessed trinity — Trinity (def 1).
- bloodguiltiness — guilty of murder or bloodshed.
- bo diddley beat — a type of syncopated Black rhythm, frequently used in rock music
- board-certified — A doctor who is board-certified has passed tests and meets the standards of a board of specialists in their area of medicine.
- boiled potatoes — potatoes, usually peeled, cooked in boiling water
- bone conduction — the transmission of sound vibrations to the internal ear through the cranial bones (opposed to air conduction).
- border incident — an incident, usually fighting, on a border between countries
- bottled in bond — stored in bonded warehouses for a stated length of time before being bottled, as some whiskey
- boustrophedonic — of or relating to lines written in opposite directions
- brand extension — the practice of using a well-known brand name to promote new products or services in unrelated fields
- brights-disease — a disease characterized by albuminuria and heightened blood pressure.
- bring to a head — to bring or be brought to a crisis
- broken pediment — a pediment, as over a doorway or window, having its raking cornice interrupted at the crown or apex.
- bronze diabetes — hemochromatosis.
- brownfield site — a disused site envisaged for redevelopment
- building permit — a permit for construction work
- building trades — the trades and professions concerned with the creation and finishing of buildings, such as carpenters, plasterers, masons, electricians, etc.
- bulldog edition — the early edition of a morning newspaper, chiefly for out-of-town distribution
- buried treasure — A surprising piece of code found in some program. While usually not wrong, it tends to vary from crufty to bletcherous, and has lain undiscovered only because it was functionally correct, however horrible it is. Used sarcastically, because what is found is anything *but* treasure. Buried treasure almost always needs to be dug up and removed. "I just found that the scheduler sorts its queue using bubble sort! Buried treasure!"
- butter-fingered — a person who frequently drops things; clumsy person.
- cabin attendant — flight attendant.
- cabinet pudding — a steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit
- cadmean victory — a victory won with great losses to the victors
- cadmium sulfate — a water-soluble compound, CdSO 4 , of colorless crystals, used as an antiseptic.
- calcined baryta — baryta (def 1).
- calcined-baryta — Also called calcined baryta, barium oxide, barium monoxide, barium protoxide. a white or yellowish-white poisonous solid, BaO, highly reactive with water: used chiefly as a dehydrating agent and in the manufacture of glass.
- calculated risk — a chance of failure, the probability of which is estimated before some action is undertaken.
- calendarization — the process of calendarizing
- calf diphtheria — a disease of the throat in young calves caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, resulting in breathing difficulty and a painful cough
- camphorated oil — a liniment consisting of camphor and peanut oil, used as a counterirritant
- cardinal beetle — any of various large N temperate beetles of the family Pyrochroidae, such as Pyrochroa serraticornis, typically scarlet or partly scarlet in colour
- cardinal system — a system of coding navigational aids by shape, color, and number, according to their positions relative to navigational hazards.
- cardinal virtue — anything considered to be an important or characteristic virtue: Tenacity is his cardinal virtue.
- cartesian diver — a glass vessel partially filled with water and covered with an airtight membrane, containing a hollow object that is open at the bottom and contains just enough air to allow it to float. Pressing on the membrane compresses the air in the vessel and forces water into the object, causing it to sink; releasing the membrane causes it to rise.
- cartesian doubt — willful suspension of all interpretations of experience that are not absolutely certain: used as a method of deriving, by elimination of such uncertainties, axioms upon which to base theories.
- cartridge brass — brass composed of about 70 percent copper and 30 percent zinc.
- cartridge paper — an uncoated type of drawing or printing paper, usually made from bleached sulphate wood pulp with an addition of esparto grass
- casement-window — a window sash opening on hinges that are generally attached to the upright side of its frame.
- cathedral choir — the choir, traditionally consisting of boys and men, that sings in cathedral services
- cattle breeding — the science or business of breeding and raising cattle
- cell disruption — Cell disruption is when a biological material becomes smaller to release proteins and enzymes.
- centipede grass — a slow-growing grass, Eremochloa ophiuroides, introduced into the U.S. from China and used for lawns in warm areas.
- central sudanic — a group of languages belonging to the Nilo-Saharan family, spoken in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Uganda, southern Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic, and including Mangbetu.
- certified check — A certified check is a check that is guaranteed by a bank, because the bank has set aside sufficient money in the account.