17-letter words containing f, o, s
- lead a dog's life — a domesticated canid, Canis familiaris, bred in many varieties.
- league of nations — an international organization to promote world peace and cooperation that was created by the Treaty of Versailles (1919): dissolved April 1946.
- least fixed point — (mathematics) A function f may have many fixed points (x such that f x = x). For example, any value is a fixed point of the identity function, (\ x . x). If f is recursive, we can represent it as f = fix F where F is some higher-order function and fix F = F (fix F). The standard denotational semantics of f is then given by the least fixed point of F. This is the least upper bound of the infinite sequence (the ascending Kleene chain) obtained by repeatedly applying F to the totally undefined value, bottom. I.e. fix F = LUB {bottom, F bottom, F (F bottom), ...}. The least fixed point is guaranteed to exist for a continuous function over a cpo.
- letter of request — a letter sent from a court to a foreign court requesting judicial assistance
- letters of marque — a former government document authorizing an individual to make reprisals on the subjects of an enemy nation, specif. to arm a ship and capture enemy merchant ships and cargo
- liberty of speech — freedom of speech.
- lick the boots of — to be servile, obsequious, or flattering towards
- life imprisonment — long-term prison sentence
- line of scrimmage — an imaginary line parallel to the goal lines that passes from one sideline to the other through the point of the football closest to the goal line of each team.
- lloyd's of london — Lloyd's of London is an association of London underwriters which originally specialized in marine insurance but now provides a variety of insurance policies.
- loose-leaf binder — a hard cover with metal rings inside which is used to hold loose pieces of paper
- lord of the flies — a novel (1954) by William Golding.
- luminous efficacy — the quotient of the luminous flux of a radiation and its corresponding radiant flux
- lyon king of arms — the chief herald of Scotland
- make light of sth — If you make light of something, you treat it as though it is not serious or important, when in fact it is.
- make sense of sth — When you make sense of something, you succeed in understanding it.
- make something of — to find a use for
- make the worst of — to be pessimistic about
- manifest function — any function of an institution or other social phenomenon that is planned and intentional.
- mark of the beast — the mark put on the forehead of those who worship the beast, the symbol of opposition to God.
- master of science — a master's degree given usually in a specific branch of the natural sciences, mathematics, or technology.
- maurice of nassau — Prince of Orange 1567-1625; Du. statesman & military leader
- memoised function — memo function
- mend one's fences — a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
- metallofullerenes — Plural form of metallofullerene.
- mexican stand-off — A Mexican stand-off is a situation in which neither of the people or groups in a conflict or dispute can win and neither wants to give in first.
- microsoft network — The Microsoft Network
- microsoft project — (product) A Microsoft Windows program offering various project management tools.
- microsoft windows — (operating system) Microsoft's proprietary window system and user interface software released in 1985 to run on top of MS-DOS. Widely criticised for being too slow (hence "Windoze", "Microsloth Windows") on the machines available then. The 1996 market share of operating systems was: DOS/Windows 70% Windows 95 15% Windows NT 2% Other 13% Versions include 1985 Windows 1, 1987 Windows 2, 1987 Windows/386, 1990 Windows 3.0, 1992 Windows 3.1, 1992 Windows for Workgroups 3.1, 1993 Windows 3.11, 1993 Windows for Workgroups 3.11, 1993 Windows NT 3.1, 1994 Windows NT 3.5, 1995 Windows 95, 199? Windows NT 4, 1998 Windows 98, Windows NT 5, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.
- mill on the floss — a novel (1860) by George Eliot.
- minister of state — (in the British Parliament) a minister, usually below cabinet rank, appointed to assist a senior minister with heavy responsibilities
- misidentification — to identify incorrectly.
- mode of transport — means of travel
- motion of censure — a motion by opposition parties criticizing the government
- munitions factory — a factory where munitions are made
- neck of the woods — the part of the body of an animal or human being that connects the head and the trunk.
- neurofibromatosis — a dominantly inherited genetic disorder characterized by flat brown patches on the skin, neurofibromas of the skin and internal organs, and in some cases skeletal deformity.
- new lease on life — a contract renting land, buildings, etc., to another; a contract or instrument conveying property to another for a specified period or for a period determinable at the will of either lessor or lessee in consideration of rent or other compensation.
- nonteaching staff — employees within an academic or vocational environment whose jobs do not involve teaching
- northern kingfish — a croaker, Menticirrhus saxatilis, inhabiting Atlantic coastal waters of the U.S.
- northern studfish — See under studfish.
- not one's idea of — not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)
- not spare oneself — to exert oneself to the full
- odds-on favourite — a person, team, horse, etc that is regarded as the most likely to win a competition
- odour of sanctity — sanctimoniousness
- of its own accord — If something happens of its own accord, it seems to happen by itself, without anyone making it happen.
- of the old school — If you approve of someone because they have good qualities that used to be more common in the past, you can describe them as one of the old school.
- off one's own bat — If someone does something off their own bat, they do it without anyone else suggesting it.
- off one's trolley — trolley car.
- off-site facility — An off-site facility is a facility which is not at the main industrial or commercial site.