9-letter words containing f, i, l, n
- link farm — (file system, Unix) A directory tree that contains mostly symbolic links to files in a master directory tree of files. Link farms save space when one is maintaining several nearly identical copies of the same source tree - for example, when the only difference is architecture-dependent object files. They also mean that changes to the master tree are instantly visible in the link farm. Good text editors provide the option to replace a link with a new version of the target file when saving thus allowing the farm to have its own versions of just those files that differ from the master tree. E.g. "Let's freeze the source and then rebuild the FROBOZZ-3 and FROBOZZ-4 link farms." Link farms may also be used to get around restrictions on the number of "-I" (include-file directory) arguments on older C preprocessors. However, they can also get completely out of hand, becoming the file system equivalent of spaghetti code.
- lion food — (humour) (IBM) Middle management or HQ staff, or, by extension, administrative drones in general. The term derives from an old joke: Two lions escape from the zoo and split up to increase their chances. When they finally meet after two months, one is skinny and the other overweight. The thin one says, "How did you manage? I ate a human just once and they turned out a small army to chase me with guns and nets, it was terrible. Since then I've been reduced to eating mice, insects, even grass." The fat one replies: "Well, *I* hid near an IBM office and ate a manager every day. Nobody even noticed!"
- loanshift — change or extension of the meaning of a word through the influence of a foreign word, as in the application in English of the meaning “profession” to the word calling through the influence of Latin vocātio.
- loftiness — extending high in the air; of imposing height; towering: lofty mountains.
- long-life — Long-life light bulbs and batteries are manufactured so that they last longer than ordinary ones. Long-life fruit juice and milk have been specially treated so that they last a long time.
- luciferin — a pigment occurring in luminescent organisms, as fireflies, that emits light when undergoing oxidation.
- lynnfield — a town in NE Massachusetts.
- manifolds — Plural form of manifold.
- mansfield — a city in W Nottinghamshire, in central England.
- mean life — the average time of existence of an unstable or reactive entity, such as a nucleus, elementary particle, charge carrier, etc; lifetime. It is equal to the half-life divided by 0.693 15
- mindfully — attentive, aware, or careful (usually followed by of): mindful of one's responsibilities.
- minefield — an area of land or water throughout which explosive mines have been laid.
- modafinil — A stimulant often used in the treatment of various sleep disorders, having the chemical formula C15H15NO2S.
- nafcillin — A beta-lactam antibiotic of the penicillin class.
- nail file — a small file of metal or cardboard, for trimming, smoothing, or shaping the fingernails and sometimes having a point for removing dirt from under them.
- news film — a film showing main events in the news
- nightfall — the coming of night; the end of daylight; dusk.
- nightlife — the activity of people seeking nighttime diversion, as at a nightclub, theater, or the like.
- no-frills — providing or including basic services and necessities without any additional features or amenities: Food and beverages are not covered by the low no-frills air fare.
- noble fir — a fir, Abies procera, of the northwestern U.S., which may grow to a height of 250 feet (76 meters).
- non-fluid — a substance, as a liquid or gas, that is capable of flowing and that changes its shape at a steady rate when acted upon by a force tending to change its shape.
- nonbelief — (religion) Failure to believe; lack of religion.
- nonfamily — Not a member of the family.
- nonfilial — not involving a parent-child relationship
- nonfiscal — not involving government funds
- nonflying — Not flying; traveling by means other than flight.
- nonfossil — not related to or derived from fossil fuel
- nullified — to render or declare legally void or inoperative: to nullify a contract.
- nullifier — One who, or that which, nullifies.
- nullifies — to render or declare legally void or inoperative: to nullify a contract.
- o'faolain — Seán [shawn] /ʃɔn/ (Show IPA), 1900–91, Irish writer and teacher.
- officinal — kept in stock by apothecaries, as a drug. Compare magistral (def 1).
- olfaction — the act of smelling.
- on relief — alleviation, ease, or deliverance through the removal of pain, distress, oppression, etc.
- onion fly — a small grey dipterous insect, Delia antiqua, that is a serious pest of onions. The larvae destroy the bulbs
- outflying — Present participle of outfly.
- painfully — affected with, causing, or characterized by pain: a painful wound; a painful night; a painful memory.
- pilfering — stealing, petty theft
- plaintful — complaining or lamenting
- plaintiff — a person who brings suit in a court (opposed to defendant).
- plan file — (operating system) On Unix systems that support finger, the ".plan" file in a user's home directory is displayed when the user is fingered. This feature was originally intended to be used to keep potential fingerers apprised of one's location and near-future plans, but has been turned almost universally to humorous and self-expressive purposes (like a sig block). See also Hacking X for Y. A later innovation in plan files was the introduction of "scrolling plan files" which are one-dimensional animations made using only the printable ASCII character set, carriage return and line feed, avoiding terminal specific escape sequences, since the finger command will (for security reasons; see letterbomb) not pass the escape character. Scrolling .plan files have become art forms in miniature, and some sites have started competitions to find who can create the longest running, funniest, and most original animations. A compiler (ASP) is available on Usenet for producing them. Typical animation components include: See also twirling baton.
- planiform — having a flattened shape, as an anatomical joint.
- plentiful — existing in great plenty: Coal was plentiful, and therefore cheap, in that region.
- pond life — the animals that live in ponds
- profiling — the outline or contour of the human face, especially the face viewed from one side.
- puffingly — in a puffing manner
- refinable — to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities: to refine metal, sugar, or petroleum.
- refinedly — in a refined manner
- reflation — restoration of economic activity, consumer prices, etc., to higher levels by manipulating monetary policy.
- reflexion — the act of reflecting, as in casting back a light or heat, mirroring, or giving back or showing an image; the state of being reflected in this way.