18-letter words containing f, a, t
- statement of claim — law: first pleading
- statements of case — the formal written statements presented alternately by the plaintiff and defendant in a lawsuit setting out the respective matters relied upon
- stepping-off place — jumping-off place (def 2).
- stirling's formula — a relation that approximates the value of n factorial (n!), expressed as .
- strait of magellan — a strait between the mainland of S South America and Tierra del Fuego, linking the S Pacific with the S Atlantic. Length: 600 km (370 miles). Width: up to 32 km (20 miles)
- straits of florida — a sea passage between the Florida Keys and Cuba, linking the Atlantic with the Gulf of Mexico
- street certificate — a certificate showing ownership of a specified number of shares of stock: endorsed by the owner and guaranteed by a broker, it may be traded without formal transfer on the books of the corporation issuing the stock.
- structural formula — a chemical formula showing the linkage of the atoms in a molecule diagrammatically, as H–O–H.
- sub-classification — to arrange in subclasses.
- subsistence farmer — a farmer who consumes most of the produce he grows, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
- sugarloaf mountain — a mountain in SE Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. 1280 feet (390 meters).
- surface-to-surface — (of a missile, message, etc.) capable of traveling from a base on the surface of the earth to a target also on the surface.
- sutton-in-ashfield — a market town in N central England, in W Nottinghamshire. Pop: 41 951 (2001)
- sweptwing aircraft — an aircraft which has wings that are swept (usually) backwards
- take a bite out of — If something takes a bite out of a sum of money, part of the money is spent or taken away in order to pay for it.
- take a dim view of — not bright; obscure from lack of light or emitted light: a dim room; a dim flashlight.
- take cognizance of — note, acknowledge
- take the wraps off — to reveal
- tale of two cities — a historical novel (1859) by Dickens.
- talk of the devil! — used when an absent person who has been the subject of conversation appears
- telford and wrekin — a unitary authority in W Central England, in Shropshire. Pop: 160 300 (2003 est). Area: 289 sq km (112 sq miles)
- territory of papua — a former territory of Australia, consisting of SE New Guinea and adjacent islands: now part of Papua New Guinea
- the back of beyond — a very remote place
- the beautiful game — football
- the better part of — a large part of
- the bird has flown — the person in question has fled or escaped
- the family compact — the ruling oligarchy in Upper Canada in the early 19th century
- the final solution — the code name used by the Nazis to refer to the plan of mass murder of the Jews
- the first sea lord — the senior of the two serving naval officers who sits on the admiralty board of the Ministry of Defence
- the french riviera — the Mediterranean coastal region of France from Cannes eastward to Italy
- the full treatment — If you say that someone is given the full treatment, you mean either that they are treated extremely well or that they are treated extremely severely.
- the hand of fatima — a symbol of a hand used in some Arabic countries to protect against the evil eye, a magical power
- the mosque of omar — the mosque in Jerusalem, Israel, built in 691 ad by caliph 'Abd al-Malik: the third most holy place of Islam; stands on the Temple Mount alongside the al-Aqsa mosque
- the queen of sheba — a queen of the Sabeans, who visited Solomon (I Kings 10:1–13)
- the worse for wear — If you say that someone is the worse for wear, you mean that they are tired, ill, or in a bad state because they have been very active, been through a difficult experience, or been drinking alcohol.
- theater of cruelty — a form of surrealist theater originated by Antonin Artaud and emphasizing the cruelty of human existence by portraying sadistic acts and intense suffering.
- theatre of cruelty — a type of theatre advocated by Antonin Artaud in Le Théâtre et son double that seeks to communicate to its audience a sense of pain, suffering, and evil, using gesture, movement, sound, and symbolism rather than language
- thermal efficiency — the ratio of the work output of a heat engine to the heat input expressed in the same units of energy.
- thorfinn karlsefni — 980–after 1007, Icelandic navigator, explorer, and leader of early colonizing expedition to Vinland, in North America.
- to agree to differ — 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.
- to be said for sth — If you say there is a lot to be said for something, you mean you think it has a lot of good qualities or aspects.
- to fall from grace — If someone falls from grace, they suddenly stop being successful or popular.
- to fall into place — If things fall into place, events happen naturally to produce a situation you want.
- to feast your eyes — If you feast your eyes on something, you look at it for a long time with great attention because you find it very attractive.
- to find fault with — If you find fault with something or someone, you look for mistakes and complain about them.
- to play favourites — to display favouritism
- to plough a furrow — If you say that someone ploughs a particular furrow or ploughs their own furrow, you mean that their activities or interests are different or isolated from those of other people.
- to pull a fast one — If you say that someone has pulled a fast one on you, you mean that they have cheated or tricked you.
- to save one's life — If you say that someone cannot do something to save their life, you are emphasizing that they do it very badly.
- to-ing and fro-ing — If you say that there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, you mean that the same actions or movements or the same arguments are being repeated many times.