17-letter words containing e, a
- against the clock — If you are doing something against the clock, you are doing it in a great hurry, because there is very little time.
- against the grain — contrary to one's feelings, nature, wishes, etc.; irritating or displeasing
- age before beauty — (often said humorously when yielding precedence) older people take precedence over younger people
- age of discretion — the age at which a person is considered to be able to manage his or her own affairs
- agenbite of inwit — remorse of conscience
- agent provocateur — An agent provocateur is a person who is employed by the government or the police to encourage certain groups of people to break the law, so they can arrest them or make them lose public support.
- aggravated murder — a murder made more serious by its violent circumstances
- agree to disagree — If two people who are arguing about something agree to disagree or agree to differ, they decide to stop arguing because neither of them is going to change their opinion.
- agreement to sell — a contract between two parties in which one party agrees to sell something to the other
- ahead of the game — in the position of winning, esp. in gambling
- ahnfelt's seaweed — a red alga, Ahnfeltia plicata, common along the coasts of North America and Europe, having brownish, bushlike branches.
- air chief marshal — a senior officer of the Royal Air Force and certain other air forces, of equivalent rank to admiral in the Royal Navy
- air-transportable — that can be transported by aircraft: air-transportable equipment.
- aircraft observer — U.S. Army. observer (def 4).
- aircraft-observer — someone or something that observes.
- alcala de henares — city in central Spain, near Madrid: pop. 159,000
- alexander severus — a.d. 208?-235; Rom. emperor ( a.d. 222-235)
- alexandrian senna — a tropical leguminous plant, Cassia acutifolia, having yellow flowers and long pods
- alfalfa butterfly — a sulfur butterfly, Colias eurytheme, having orange wings edged with black, the larvae of which feed on alfalfa and other legumes.
- algol 60 modified — (language) An erratum in [Computer J 21(3):282 (Aug 1978)] applies to both.
- algorithmic model — (programming) A method of estimating software cost using mathematical algorithms based on the parameters which are considered to be the major cost drivers. These estimate of effort or cost are based primarily on the size of the software or Delivered Source Instructions (DSI)s, and other productivity factors known as Cost Driver Attributes. See also Parametric Model.
- alive and kicking — If you say that someone or something is alive and kicking, you are emphasizing not only that they continue to survive, but also that they are very active.
- all over the occy — in every direction
- all over the shop — If something is happening all over the shop, it is happening in many different places or throughout a wide area.
- all the better to — more suitable to
- all the trimmings — If you say that something comes with all the trimmings, you mean that it has many extra things added to it to make it more special.
- all well and good — If you say that something is all well and good, you are suggesting that it has faults or disadvantages, although it may appear to be correct or reasonable.
- all-expenses-paid — (of a holiday, trip, etc) free, with everything paid for
- all-purpose flour — All-purpose flour is flour that does not make cakes and cookies rise when they are baked because it has no chemicals added to it.
- all-weather court — a tennis court suitable to be used in all kinds of weather
- allende meteorite — a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite that fell over northern Mexico in 1969: one of the largest recorded falls of a stony meteorite.
- allergic rhinitis — a condition characterized by head congestion, sneezing, tearing, and swelling of the nasal mucous membranes, caused by an allergic reaction.
- alligator snapper — a large, freshwater snapping turtle (Macroclemys temmincki) of the SE U.S. and the Mississippi Valley, found chiefly in rivers and bayous: it may weigh up to 100 kg (220 lb)
- almanach de gotha — a publication giving statistical information on European royalty.
- almost everywhere — everywhere in a given set except on a subset with measure zero. Abbreviation: a.e.
- alpha-fetoprotein — a protein that forms in the liver of the human fetus. Excessive quantities in the amniotic fluid and maternal blood may indicate spina bifida in the fetus; low levels may point to Down's syndrome
- altamonte springs — a city in central Florida.
- alternate plumage — (of birds having more than one plumage in their cycle of molts) the plumage of the second molt, usually brighter than the basic plumage.
- alternating group — the subgroup consisting of all even permutations, of the group of all permutations of a finite set.
- alternating light — a beacon showing different colors in succession.
- alternative music — independent pop music
- altitude sickness — a condition affecting some persons at high altitudes, caused by insufficient oxygen in the blood and characterized by dizziness, nausea, and shortness of breath.
- altitude training — training performed at high altitude to prepare an athlete's body to cope with a reduced supply of oxygen
- aluminum chloride — a yellow-white, crystalline, water-soluble solid that in its white hydrated form, AlCl 3 ⋅6H 2 O, is used chiefly as a wood preservative and in its yellow-white anhydrous form, AlCl 3 , chiefly as a catalyst.
- aluminum silicate — any of a group of naturally occurring, water-insoluble substances, obtained from clay or synthesized, containing varying amounts of oxides of aluminum and silicon, Al 2 O 3 and Si 2 O 3 , and used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, paints, printing inks, rubber, and plastics.
- amateur dramatics — theatrical performances by amateur players
- ambivalent sexism — a theory that sexism toward women is multidimensional, one form (hostile sexism) reflecting negative views of women who challenge traditional gender roles, and the other form (benevolent sexism) reflecting positive views of women who conform to these roles.
- ambrette-seed oil — a yellow oil expressed from ambrette seeds, used as a fixative in the manufacture of perfume.
- ambulance service — the public organization that operates ambulances in a country
- american chestnut — any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus Castanea, of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur, and including C. dentata (American chestnut) which has been virtually destroyed by the chestnut blight, C. sativa (European chestnut) C. mollissima (Chinese chestnut) and C. crenata (Japanese chestnut)