15-letter words containing f, r, i, c, a
- right of search — the privilege of a nation at war to search neutral ships on the high seas for contraband or other matter, carried in violation of neutrality, that may subject the ship to seizure.
- rightabout-face — a turning directly about so as to face in the opposite direction
- rockrose family — the plant family Cistaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants and shrubs having simple, usually opposite leaves, solitary or clustered flowers, and capsular fruit, and including the frostweed, pinweed, and rockrose.
- royal air force — aerial branch of British military
- schiffs-reagent — a solution of rosaniline and sulfurous acid in water, used to test for the presence of aldehydes.
- self-caricature — a picture, description, etc., ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things: His caricature of the mayor in this morning's paper is the best he's ever drawn.
- self-lacerating — to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.
- self-laceration — the result of lacerating; a rough, jagged tear.
- self-proclaimed — to announce or declare in an official or formal manner: to proclaim war.
- semimanufacture — a product which forms an intermediate stage in the manufacture of another, often more complex product
- simple fraction — a ratio of two integers.
- simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
- snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
- special feature — an article differing from the normal format and focusing on a particular topic
- specific charge — the ratio of the charge on a particle to the mass of the particle.
- station officer — a person who is in charge of a fire station
- strait of canso — a channel in Canada, between the Nova Scotia mainland and S Cape Breton Island
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- surface density — quantity, as of electric charge, per unit surface area.
- surface tension — the elasticlike force existing in the surface of a body, especially a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface, caused by asymmetries in the intermolecular forces between surface molecules.
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
- syngeneic graft — a tissue or organ transplanted from one member of a species to another, genetically identical member of the species, as a kidney transplanted from one identical twin to the other.
- tax certificate — a document issued to the purchaser of property sold for unpaid taxes attesting to the holder's right to eventual receipt of the title deed.
- tentaculiferous — having tentacles
- tetrafunctional — pertaining to molecules or groups that can bond at four sites.
- theatrical film — a film made for exhibition in theaters, as distinguished from one made for television.
- theft insurance — insurance against loss or damage of property resulting from theft.
- through traffic — traffic which continues on a road or highway rather than crossing onto a different road
- tourist traffic — the number of tourists that visit an area
- track and field — athletics events
- track-and-field — of, relating to, or participating in the sports of running, pole-vaulting, broad-jumping, etc.: a track-and-field athlete.
- tractive effort — the force exerted by a locomotive or other powered vehicle on its driving wheels.
- traffic calming — Traffic calming consists of measures designed to make roads safer, for example making them narrower or placing obstacles in them, so that drivers are forced to slow down.
- traffic control — management of road use
- traffic manager — a person who supervises the transportation of goods for an employer.
- traffic offence — a violation of traffic regulations, such as breaking the speed limit
- traffic pattern — Aeronautics. a system of courses about an airfield that aircraft are assigned to fly when taking off, landing, or preparing to land.
- tray classifier — A tray classifier is a tank for leaching from a dispersed solid, in which pulp at the bottom of the tank is raked (= moved to the exit) while solvent is forced toward the bottom of the tank.
- ultracentrifuge — a high-speed centrifuge for subjecting sols or solutions to forces many times that of gravity and producing concentration differences depending on the weight of the micelle or molecule.
- ultramicrofiche — ultrafiche.
- unfair practice — unfair competition.
- vicar of christ — the pope, with reference to his claim to stand in the place of Jesus Christ and possess His authority in the church.
- viral infection — disease caused by a virus
- vulgar fraction — common fraction.
- walk-in traffic — The walk-in traffic of a store is the number of people who choose to visit it as they pass by.
- warrant officer — (in the U.S. Armed Forces) an officer of one of four grades ranking above enlisted personnel and below commissioned officers.
- welfare officer — a person who gives people help and advice