16-letter words containing d, r, a, y
- cash on delivery — If you pay for goods cash on delivery, you pay for them in cash when they are delivered. The abbreviation C.O.D. is also used.
- cathode ray tube — (hardware) (CRT) An electrical device for displaying images by exciting phosphor dots with a scanned electron beam. CRTs are found in computer VDUs and monitors, televisions and oscilloscopes. The first commercially practical CRT was perfected on 29 January 1901 by Allen B DuMont. A large glass envelope containing a negative electrode (the cathode) emits electrons (formerly called "cathode rays") when heated, as in a vacuum tube. The electrons are accelerated across a large voltage gradient toward the flat surface of the tube (the screen) which is covered with phosphor. When an electron strikes the phosphor, light is emitted. The electron beam is deflected by electromagnetic coils around the outside of the tube so that it scans across the screen, usually in horizontal stripes. This scan pattern is known as a raster. By controlling the current in the beam, the brightness at any particular point (roughly a "pixel") can be varied. Different phosphors have different "persistence" - the length of time for which they glow after being struck by electrons. If the scanning is done fast enough, the eye sees a steady image, due to both the persistence of the phospor and of the eye itself. CRTs also differ in their dot pitch, which determines their spatial resolution, and in whether they use interlace or not.
- cathode-ray tube — A cathode-ray tube is a device in televisions and computer terminals which sends an image onto the screen.
- central cylinder — stele (def 4).
- central tendency — the tendency of the values of a random variable to cluster around the mean, median, and mode
- centrally heated — A centrally heated building or room has central heating.
- character comedy — comedy, or a comedy, in which the main source of humour is in the character of the people represented in it
- chiclet keyboard — (hardware, abuse) A keyboard with a small, flat rectangular or lozenge-shaped rubber or plastic keys that look like pieces of Chiclets chewing gum. Used especially to describe the original IBM PCjr keyboard. Vendors unanimously liked these because they were cheap, and a lot of early portable and laptop computers were launched with them. Customers rejected the idea with almost equal unanimity, and chiclets are not often seen on anything larger than a digital watch any more.
- child psychiatry — the branch of psychiatry specializing in the treatment of children.
- chondrodysplasia — (medicine) A genetic disorder characterized by short-limbed dwarfism.
- churidar pyjamas — long tight-fitting trousers, worn by Indian men and women
- city of aberdeen — a council area in NE Scotland, established in 1996. Pop: 206 600 (2003 est). Area: 186 sq km (72 sq miles)
- coleridge-taylor — Samuel. 1875–1912, British composer, best known for his trilogy of oratorios Song of Hiawatha (1898–1900)
- collared peccary — a piglike artiodactyl mammal, Tayassu tajacu, of forests of southern North America, Central and South America: family Tayassuidae
- commodity dollar — the unit of a proposed system of currency, that would have a fluctuating gold value determined at regular intervals on the basis of an official index of the prices of key commodities
- community leader — a leading figure in a community
- cottage industry — A cottage industry is a small business that is run from someone's home, especially one that involves a craft such as knitting or pottery.
- couvade syndrome — a psychosomatic condition in which the spouse or partner of a pregnant woman experiences symptoms of childbirth or pregnancy
- crash test dummy — a dummy used in crash tests
- critical density — the density of matter that would be required to halt the expansion of the universe
- croydon facelift — the tightening effect on the skin of a woman's face caused by securing the hair at the back of the head in a tight ponytail
- crystal detector — a demodulator, used esp in microwave circuits and in early radio receivers, consisting of a thin metal wire in point contact with a semiconductor crystal
- currency trading — the business of trading in different currencies in order to profit from exchange rate differentials
- cut and blow-dry — a hairdressing procedure in which the customer's hair is cut and blow-dried
- cyanogen bromide — a colorless, slightly water-soluble, poisonous, volatile, crystalline solid, BrCN, used chiefly as a fumigant and a pesticide.
- d-glyceraldehyde — an isomer of glyceraldehyde in which the OH group is on the right side of the asymmetric carbon atom.
- dacryocystectomy — The surgical removal of a part of the lacrimal sac.
- dakota territory — a territory in the N central U.S., from 1861 to 1868 comprising present-day North Dakota and South Dakota, and parts of Montana and Wyoming.
- darwinian theory — Darwin's theory of evolution, which holds that all species of plants and animals developed from earlier forms by hereditary transmission of slight variations in successive generations, and that natural selection determines which forms will survive
- day of reckoning — If someone talks about the day of reckoning, they mean a day or time in the future when people will be forced to deal with an unpleasant situation which they have avoided until now.
- daylight robbery — If someone charges you a great deal of money for something and you think this is unfair or unreasonable, you can refer to this as daylight robbery.
- decimal currency — a system of currency in which the monetary units are parts or powers of ten
- deferred annuity — an annuity that commences not less than one year after the final purchase premium
- deflationary gap — a situation in which total spending in an economy is insufficient to buy all the output that can be produced with full employment
- dehydroascorbate — (organic compound) Any salt or ester of dehydroascorbic acid.
- delayed reaction — response after an interval
- democratic party — (in the US) the older and more liberal of the two major political parties, so named since 1840
- depolymerisation — (chemistry) alternative spelling of depolymerization.
- depolymerization — (chemistry) The decomposition of a polymer into smaller fragments.
- deputy secretary — the Deputy Secretary of State or Defense etc
- derbyshire chair — a chair of the mid-17th century, made of oak, usually without arms, and having a back of two carved rails between square uprights.
- dermatologically — In a dermatological way.
- destroying angel — a white slender very poisonous basidiomycetous toadstool, Amanita virosa, having a pronounced volva, frilled, shaggy stalk, and sickly smell
- diacetylmorphine — heroin.
- diagrammatically — in the form of a diagram; graphic; outlined.
- dictionary flame — [Usenet] An attempt to sidetrack a debate away from issues by insisting on meanings for key terms that presuppose a desired conclusion or smuggle in an implicit premise. A common tactic of people who prefer argument over definitions to disputes about reality. Compare spelling flame.
- dictionary-maker — a person who compiles a dictionary
- diesel-hydraulic — a locomotive driven by a diesel engine through hydraulic transmission and torque converters
- diethyl carbinol — a colorless, liquid isomer of amyl alcohol, (CH3CH2)2CHOH, used in drugs and as a solvent
- dihydroxyacetone — (organic compound) The compound CO(CH2OH)2 that has a number of industrial uses.