20-letter words containing e, f, o
- solitary confinement — the confinement of a prisoner in a cell or other place in which he or she is completely isolated from others.
- span of apprehension — the maximum number of objects that can be correctly assessed after a brief presentation
- specific conductance — conductivity (def 2).
- specific performance — (especially in the sale of land) literal compliance with one's contractual promises pursuant to a judicial mandate.
- specific-conductance — conductivity (def 2).
- spiral of archimedes — a curve that is the locus of a point that moves outward with uniform speed along a vector, beginning at the origin, while the vector rotates about the origin with uniform angular velocity. Equation (in polar coordinates): r = aθ.
- spirit of enterprise — the motivation to set up and succeed in business or commerce
- square of opposition — a diagrammatic representation of the opposition of categorical propositions.
- squirrel's-foot fern — ball fern.
- staff of aesculapius — a representation of a forked staff with an entwining serpent, used as a symbol of the medical profession and as the insignia of the American Medical Association and other medical organizations. Compare caduceus (def 2).
- staff sergeant major — a noncommissioned officer equivalent in rank to a command sergeant major but having no command responsibility.
- states of the church — Papal States
- stefan-boltzmann law — the law stating that the total energy radiated from a blackbody is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature.
- strike off the rolls — to expel from membership
- strong nuclear force — an interaction between elementary particles responsible for the forces between nucleons in the nucleus. It operates at distances less than about 10–15 metres, and is about a hundred times more powerful than the electromagnetic interaction
- sufficient condition — a statement whose truth is sufficient to guarantee the truth of a given statement
- tchebycheff equation — a differential equation of the form (1 − x 2) d 2 y/dx 2 − x dy/dx + n 2 y = 0, where n is any nonnegative integer.
- that makes two of us — the same applies to me
- the beautiful people — rich, fashionable people in international high society
- the course of nature — the ordinary course of events
- the day of judgement — a Christian term for the ending of the world
- the eye of the storm — If you say that someone or something is at the eye of the storm, you mean they are the main subject of a public disagreement.
- the founding fathers — any of the men who were members of the U.S. Constituional Convention of 1787
- the gnomes of zurich — Swiss bankers and financiers
- the grove of academe — the academic world
- the legal profession — the profession of law
- the like(s) of which — If you refer to something the like of which or the likes of which has never been seen before, you are emphasizing how important, great, or noticeable the thing is.
- the luck of the draw — If you say that something is the luck of the draw, you mean that it is the result of chance and you cannot do anything about it.
- the name of the game — If you say that something is the name of the game, you mean that it is the most important aspect of a situation.
- the order of the day — If a particular way of behaving or doing something is the order of the day, it is very common.
- the price of someone — what someone deserves, esp a fitting punishment
- the sum total of sth — all of something
- the way of the cross — a series of images in a church or along a road to a church etc depicting the last hours of Christ
- the-comedy-of-errors — an early comedy (1594) by Shakespeare.
- the-lady-of-the-lake — a narrative poem (1810) by Sir Walter Scott.
- theory of everything — a theory intended to show that the electroweak, strong, and gravitational forces are components of a single quantized force.
- theory of relativity — relativity (def 2).
- there is no call for — If you say that there is no call for someone to behave in a particular way, you are criticizing their behaviour, usually because you think it is rude.
- theresa of avila, st — Saint. Also, Teresa. Also called Theresa of Avila [ah-vee-lah] /ˈɑ viˌlɑ/ (Show IPA), 1515–82, Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and writer.
- third-party software — software created by programmers or publishers independent of the manufacturer of the hardware for which it is intended.
- this time, for sure! — (exclamation) Ritual affirmation frequently uttered during protracted debugging sessions involving numerous small obstacles (e.g. attempts to bring up a UUCP connection). For the proper effect, this must be uttered in a fruity imitation of Bullwinkle J. Moose. Also heard: "Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" The canonical response is, of course, "But that trick *never* works!" See hacker humour.
- thomas of erceldoune — Thomas of, Thomas of Erceldoune.
- thorn in one's flesh — a sharp excrescence on a plant, especially a sharp-pointed aborted branch; spine; prickle.
- thought transference — transference of thought by extrasensory means from the mind of one individual to another; telepathy.
- to bear the brunt of — To bear the brunt or take the brunt of something unpleasant means to suffer the main part or force of it.
- to burst into flames — If something bursts into flames or bursts into flame, it suddenly starts burning strongly.
- to come to full term — to be carried or last until the ninth month of gestation or pregnancy
- to fall on deaf ears — If a request falls on deaf ears or if the person to whom the request is made turns a deaf ear to it, they take no notice of it.
- to fall on your feet — If you say that someone always falls or lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts.
- to flex your muscles — If a group, organization, or country flexes its muscles, it does something to impress or frighten people, in order to show them that it has power and is considering using it.