16-letter words containing f, r, y
- cutoff frequency — a frequency level above or below which a device fails to respond or operate efficiently
- cycle of erosion — the hypothetical sequence of modifications to the earth's surface by erosion, from the original uplift of the land to the ultimate low plain, usually divided into the youthful, mature, and old stages
- day of reckoning — If someone talks about the day of reckoning, they mean a day or time in the future when people will be forced to deal with an unpleasant situation which they have avoided until now.
- deferred annuity — an annuity that commences not less than one year after the final purchase premium
- deflationary gap — a situation in which total spending in an economy is insufficient to buy all the output that can be produced with full employment
- dictionary flame — [Usenet] An attempt to sidetrack a debate away from issues by insisting on meanings for key terms that presuppose a desired conclusion or smuggle in an implicit premise. A common tactic of people who prefer argument over definitions to disputes about reality. Compare spelling flame.
- do-it-yourselfer — an advocate or enthusiast of do-it-yourself
- documentary film — factual, informative film
- dorothy canfield — Dorothy, Fisher, Dorothy Canfield.
- embroidery frame — a frame in the form of a pair of (usually circular) rings, designed to keep the fabric taut while an embroiderer works on it
- energy-efficient — A device or building that is energy-efficient uses relatively little energy to provide the power it needs.
- erlenmeyer flask — conical container used in laboratory
- factor of safety — the ratio of the maximum stress that a structural part or other piece of material can withstand to the maximum stress estimated for it in the use for which it is designed.
- family of curves — a collection of curves whose equations differ only by values assigned a parameter or parameters.
- fancy dress ball — a ball at which the guests wear fancy dress
- fashion industry — the industry that deals with the world of fashion
- federalist party — a political group that favored the adoption by the states of the Constitution.
- ferricyanic acid — a brown, crystalline, unstable, water-soluble solid, H 3 Fe(CN) 6 , obtained by the interaction of a ferricyanide and an acid.
- ferrocyanic acid — a white, crystalline, unstable, water-soluble solid, H 4 Fe(CN) 6 , obtained by the interaction of a ferrocyanide and an acid.
- ferroelectricity — (physics) The electric polarization of a substance (spontaneous presence of a dipole moment) that is analagous to ferromagnetism.
- fertility clinic — a place at which a couple who are unable to conceive may receive medical advice and treatments to help them to have a child
- fertility factor — a sex-determining chromosome or gene.
- fertility symbol — an object, esp a phallic symbol, used in fertility-cult ceremonies to symbolize regeneration
- firework display — a public event at which fireworks are set alight
- first-time buyer — someone who is buying his or her first house
- fishing industry — the industry of catching fish
- flabbergastingly — Surprisingly, astonishingly or amazingly.
- flashbulb memory — the clear recollections that a person may have of the circumstances associated with a dramatic event
- flat-track bully — a sportsperson who dominates inferior opposition, but who cannot beat top-level opponents
- flibbertigibbety — Like a flibbertigibbet; flighty; scatterbrained.
- flying phalanger — any of various small phalangers of Australia and New Guinea, having a parachutelike fold of skin on each side of the body to give gliding assistance in leaping.
- focused strategy — a business strategy in which an organization divests itself of all but its core activities, using the funds raised to enhance the distinctive abilities that give it an advantage over its rivals
- follow-my-leader — a game in which the players must repeat the actions of the leader
- foot reflexology — reflexology (def 1).
- forefathers' day — the anniversary of the day (December 21, 1620, in Old Style December 11) on which the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Mass. Owing to an error in changing the date from the Old Style to the New, it is generally observed on December 22.
- foreign currency — money used in another country
- formation flying — a formal arrangement of flying aircraft acting as a unit
- formylmethionine — Alternative spelling of formyl methionine.
- forward analysis — An analysis which determines properties of the output of a program from properties of the inputs.
- forward delivery — delivery at a future date.
- fourier analysis — the expression of any periodic function as a sum of sine and cosine functions, as in an electromagnetic wave function. Compare Fourier series.
- fraternity house — a house occupied by a college or university fraternity.
- french community — a cultural and economic association of France, its overseas departments and territories, and former French territories that chose to maintain association after becoming independent republics: formed 1958.
- french directory — the body of five directors in power in France from 1795 until their overthrow by Napoleon in 1799
- french polynesia — a French overseas territory in the S Pacific, including the Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, and other scattered island groups. 1544 sq. mi. (4000 sq. km). Capital: Papeete.
- freshly squeezed — You can describe juice that has been recently pressed out of fruit as freshly squeezed.
- friendly islands — Tonga
- friendly society — law: mutual group providing benefits
- fringed polygala — a North American milkwort, Polygala paucifolia, having flowers with purplish-pink, winglike petals and a fringed tube.
- frontal lobotomy — Surgery. a psychosurgical procedure in which the frontal lobes are separated from the rest of the brain by cutting the connecting nerve fibers.