14-letter words containing e, n, t, w
- power industry — all the people and activities involved in providing power (gas, electricity, etc) to homes and businesses
- power steering — an automotive steering system in which the engine's power is used to supplement the driver's effort in turning the steering wheel.
- power-on reset — (hardware) (POR) The processes that take place when a hardware device is turned on. This may include running power-on self-test or reloading software from non-volatile storage. The term implies that the device has some reasonably complex internal state that will be set back to a "normal" initial condition. This state may include the physical state of the device (e.g. a printer) as well as data in the memory of an embedded system. If a device has no reset button, and sometimes even if it does, turning it off and on again (power cycling) may be the only way to clear a fault.
- preventive law — consultation, as between lawyer and client, to prevent future litigation by dispensing legal advice, clarifying the terms of a contract, etc.
- preventive war — an attack against a possible enemy to prevent an attack by that enemy at a later time.
- property owner — sb who owns a building or land
- puncture wound — injury: perforation
- quarter window — (on a car) a small triangular side window with hinges that can be opened for extra ventilation
- rainbow darter — a stout darter, Etheostoma caeruleum, inhabiting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River drainages, the spawning male of which has the sides marked with oblique blue bars with red interspaces.
- raise the wind — to obtain the necessary funds
- reckon without — If you say that you had reckoned without something, you mean that you had not expected it and so were not prepared for it.
- rent allowance — money given to individuals by the government that subsidises the cost of renting a property
- retaining wall — a wall for holding in place a mass of earth or the like, as at the edge of a terrace or excavation.
- richard tawney — Richard Henry, 1880–1962, English historian, born in Calcutta.
- saint lawrence — D(avid) H(erbert) 1885–1930, English novelist.
- sanitary towel — sanitary napkin.
- search warrant — a court order authorizing the examination of a dwelling or other private premises by police officials, as for stolen goods.
- self-interview — a formal meeting in which one or more persons question, consult, or evaluate another person: a job interview.
- sensor network — a network of tiny autonomous devices embedded in everyday objects or sprinkled on the ground, able to communicate using wireless links
- sewing pattern — a guide or diagram that you follow to make clothes or other things using a needle and thread
- shadow cabinet — (in the British Parliament) a group of prominent members of the opposition who are expected to hold positions in the cabinet when their party assumes power.
- shower curtain — waterproof sheet around a shower
- shut in a well — To shut in a well is to close off a well so that it stops producing.
- silent witness — a person who observes but makes no comment on or has no involvement in an action
- sit-down money — social security benefits
- slatwall panel — A slatwall panel is a slatted surface which can be fixed to the wall from which shelves or hooks can be hung at varying heights to display merchandise.
- social network — a network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts: Strong social networks can encourage healthy behaviors.
- southern crown — the constellation Corona Australis.
- southwesterner — a native or inhabitant of the southwest.
- sow one's oats — to indulge in adventure or promiscuity during youth
- standing water — still water that has stagnated
- steering wheel — a wheel used by a driver, pilot, or the like, to steer an automobile, ship, etc.
- stewart island — one of the islands of New Zealand, S of South Island. 670 sq. mi. (1735 sq. km).
- stock watering — the creation of more new shares in a company than is justified by its assets
- stopping power — a measure of the effect a substance has on the kinetic energy of a particle passing through it
- sturgeon's law — "Ninety percent of everything is crap". Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, who once said, "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud." Oddly, when Sturgeon's Law is cited, the final word is almost invariably changed to "crap". Compare Ninety-Ninety Rule. Though this maxim originated in SF fandom, most hackers recognise it and are all too aware of its truth.
- swedish turnip — rutabaga.
- sweet and sour — Sweet and sour is used to describe Chinese food that contains both a sweet flavour and something sharp or sour such as lemon or vinegar.
- sweet chestnut — tree: edible nuts
- sweet nothings — terms of endearment
- sweet viburnum — the sheepberry, Viburnum lentago.
- sweet-and-sour — cooked with sugar and vinegar or lemon juice and often other seasonings.
- swing the lead — to malinger or make up excuses
- swinging voter — a person who does not vote consistently for any single political party
- switch selling — a system of selling, now illegal in Britain, whereby potential customers are attracted by a special offer on some goods but the salesman's real aim is to sell other more expensive goods instead
- take one's way — to go on a journey; travel
- tangata whenua — the indigenous Māori people of a particular area of New Zealand or of the country as a whole
- telephone wire — a wire that transmits telegraph and telephone signals
- ten years' war — a popular insurrection in Cuba (1868–78) against Spanish rule.
- tenpin bowling — Tenpin bowling is a game in which you roll a heavy ball down a narrow track toward a group of wooden objects and try to knock down as many of them as possible.