16-letter words containing f, o, r, p
- peace conference — a conference where representatives of warring governments or countries sign a treaty to end conflict
- pearls of wisdom — good advice, wise words
- pearly razorfish — See under razorfish.
- peregrine falcon — a globally distributed falcon, Falco peregrinus, much used in falconry because of its swift flight: several subspecies are endangered.
- perforated ulcer — an ulcer that bursts through the stomach wall and leaks food and gastric juices into the abdominal cavity
- performance bond — contract bond.
- performance test — a test requiring little or no use of language, the test materials being designed to elicit manual or behavioral responses rather than verbal ones.
- period furniture — furniture that was made during a particular period in time
- permafrost table — the variable surface constituting the upper limit of permafrost. Compare frostline (def 2).
- person of colour — a person who is not White
- personal effects — belongings
- petrified forest — a national park in E Arizona, containing petrified coniferous trees about 170 000 000 years old
- phosphor fatigue — screen saver
- place of worship — religious house: church, temple
- plaster of paris — calcined gypsum in white, powdery form, used as a base for gypsum plasters, as an additive of lime plasters, and as a material for making fine and ornamental casts: characterized by its ability to set rapidly when mixed with water.
- platform-balance — a scale with a platform for holding the items to be weighed.
- polyvinyl formal — a colorless, water-insoluble, polyvinyl acetal produced from partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate and formaldehyde, used chiefly in the manufacture of lacquers.
- portfolio worker — a person in portfolio employment
- post-reformation — the act of reforming; state of being reformed.
- powerfully built — (of a person, esp a man) big and physically strong, with large muscles
- powerpc platform — (architecture, standard) (PPCP, PReP - PowerPC Reference Platform, formerly CHRP - Common Hardware Reference Platform) An open system standard, designed by IBM, intended to ensure compatibility among PowerPC-based systems built by different companies. The PReP standard specifies the PCI bus, but will also support ISA, MicroChannel and PCMCIA. PReP-compliant systems will be able to run the Macintosh OS, OS/2, WorkplaceOS, AIX, Solaris, Taligent and Windows NT. IBM systems will (of course) be PReP-compliant. Apple's first PowerPC Macintoshes will not be compliant, but future ones may be.
- preference stock — preferred stock.
- presence of mind — a calm state of mind that allows one to think clearly or act effectively in an emergency.
- prespecification — the act of specifying.
- press conference — a prearranged interview with news reporters, held to elicit publicity or, as granted by a dignitary, public official, research scientist, etc., to fulfill a request from the press.
- pribilof islands — a group of islands in the Bering Sea, off SW Alaska, belonging to the US: the breeding ground of the northern fur seal. Area: about 168 sq km (65 sq miles)
- pride oneself on — to be proud of
- prisoner of bill — (humour) (PoB) A derisory term, in use generally among Unix users, for anyone who uses Microsoft products either because they don't know there is anything better (i.e. Unix) or because they would be incapable of working anything more complex (i.e. Unix). The interesting and widespread presumption among users of the term is that (at least at the time of writing, 1998) using anything other than Unix or a Microsoft OS (whether VMS, Macintosh, Amiga) is so eccentric a choice as to be at least somewhat praiseworthy.
- professionalisms — professional character, spirit, or methods.
- proficiency test — an exam which test how proficient or skilled someone is in a particular activity, field of study, language, etc
- proof of concept — the stage during the development of a product when it is established that the product will function as intended
- proof of postage — a document, such as a receipt, etc, that proves that you have posted or mailed something
- put a foot wrong — to make a mistake
- put your feet up — If you put your feet up, you relax or have a rest, especially by sitting or lying with your feet supported off the ground.
- racial profiling — the use of personal characteristics or behavior patterns to make generalizations about a person, as in gender profiling.
- ramen profitable — If a startup business is ramen profitable, it is barely profitable, just enough to allow the founder to live on the cheapest diet.
- rape of the lock — a mock-epic poem (1712) by Alexander Pope.
- reflection plane — a plane through a crystal that divides the crystal into two halves that are mirror images of each other.
- regius professor — Crown-appointed holder of a university chair
- score points off — to gain an advantage at someone else's expense
- seal of approval — royal stamp of endorsement
- self-approbation — approval; commendation.
- self-deprecation — belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.
- self-deprecatory — belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.
- self-deprivation — the act of depriving.
- self-description — a statement, picture in words, or account that describes; descriptive representation.
- self-exculpatory — intended to excuse oneself from blame or guilt
- self-explanatory — explaining itself; needing no explanation; obvious.
- self-improvement — improvement of one's mind, character, etc., through one's own efforts.
- self-preoccupied — preoccupied by one's own concerns