13-letter words containing f, l, u, r
- flutter wheel — a waterwheel at the bottom of a chute, turned by the falling water.
- flutterboards — Plural form of flutterboard.
- flying circus — a squadron of airplanes operating together, especially any of several squadrons of famous World War I aviators.
- flying saucer — any of various disk-shaped objects allegedly seen flying at high speeds and altitudes, often with extreme changes in speed and direction, and thought by some to be manned by intelligent beings from outer space.
- focal seizure — an epileptic manifestation arising from a localized anomaly in the brain, as a small tumor or scar, and usually involving a single motor or sensory mechanism but occasionally spreading to other areas and causing convulsions and loss of consciousness.
- foldoc source — The source text of FOLDOC is a single plain text file. FOLDOC is also available on paper from your local printer but, at 700,000+ words, that would be about 2000 pages.
- for values of — (jargon) A common rhetorical maneuver at MIT is to use any of the canonical random numbers as placeholders for variables. "The max function takes 42 arguments, for arbitrary values of 42". "There are 69 ways to leave your lover, for 69 = 50". This is especially likely when the speaker has uttered a random number and realises that it was not recognised as such, but even "non-random" numbers are occasionally used in this fashion. A related joke is that pi equals 3 - for small values of pi and large values of 3. This usage probably derives from the programming language MAD (Michigan Algorithm Decoder), an ALGOL-like language that was the most common choice among mainstream (non-hacker) users at MIT in the mid-1960s. It had a control structure FOR VALUES OF X = 3, 7, 99 DO ... that would repeat the indicated instructions for each value in the list (unlike the usual FOR that generates an arithmetic sequence of values). MAD is long extinct, but similar for-constructs still flourish (e.g. in Unix's shell languages).
- forced labour — labour done because of force; compulsory labour
- forgetfulness — apt to forget; that forgets: a forgetful person.
- fork luncheon — déjeuner à la fourchette.
- formula algol — An ALGOL extension for symbolic mathematics, strings and lists, developed by A.J. Perlis and R. Iturriaga at Carnegie for the CDC G-20 in 1962.
- formulaically — made according to a formula; composed of formulas: a formulaic plot.
- formularising — Present participle of formularise.
- formularistic — relating to formularization
- formularizing — Present participle of formularize.
- fort moultrie — William, 1730–1805, U.S. general.
- fortuneteller — a person who claims the ability to predict the future.
- fossiliferous — bearing or containing fossils, as rocks or strata.
- foul-tempered — frequently and unnecessarily sullen or angry
- four-wheeling — traveling in a vehicle using four-wheel drive.
- foursome reel — a lively Scottish dance for two couples who combine in square and circular formations
- fractocumulus — low ragged slightly bulbous cloud, often appearing below nimbostratus clouds during rain
- frelinghuysen — Frederick Theodore, 1817–85, U.S. statesman.
- freudian slip — (in Freudian psychology) an inadvertent mistake in speech or writing that is thought to reveal a person's unconscious motives, wishes, or attitudes.
- frightfulness — The quality of being frightful.
- frivolousness — characterized by lack of seriousness or sense: frivolous conduct.
- frontal gyrus — any of several convolutions on the outer surface of the frontal lobe of the cerebrum.
- fruitlessness — The quality of being fruitless.
- frustratingly — to make (plans, efforts, etc.) worthless or of no avail; defeat; nullify: The student's indifference frustrated the teacher's efforts to help him.
- fuel air bomb — a type of bomb that spreads a cloud of gas, which is then detonated, over the target area, causing extensive destruction
- fuel injector — injector (def 2b).
- fulani empire — a powerful W African Muslim state that flourished in the 19th century in the area of present-day Nigeria.
- fulbright act — an act of Congress (1946) by which funds derived chiefly from the sale of U.S. surplus property abroad are made available to U.S. citizens for study, research, and teaching in foreign countries as well as to foreigners to engage in similar activities in the U.S.
- full throttle — used in the phrase at full throttle, at full speed or with great intensity
- full-flavored — Full-flavored food or wine has a pleasant fairly strong taste.
- full-strength — If a team or army is at full strength, all the members that it needs or usually has are present.
- full-throated — A full-throated sound coming from someone's mouth, such as a shout or a laugh, is very loud.
- funambulatory — relating to tightrope-walking
- funeral march — march played for funeral processions
- furshlugginer — crazy; foolish
- fusarium wilt — a disease of plants, characterized by damping-off, wilting, and a brown dry rot, caused by fungi of the genus Fusarium.
- futilitarians — Plural form of futilitarian.
- futurological — Pertaining to futurology.
- gabriel fauré — Gabriel Urbain [ga-bree-el oor-ban] /ga briˈɛl urˈbɛ̃/ (Show IPA), 1845–1924, French composer.
- gallimaufries — Plural form of gallimaufry.
- gelandelaufer — a participant in cross-country skiing.
- geminiflorous — having flowers arranged in pairs.
- gemmuliferous — producing or reproducing by gemmules.
- globuliferous — containing or producing globules.
- granuliferous — full of granules, or producing granules