19-letter words containing f, s, t, a
- speculative fiction — a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements
- spirit of hartshorn — a colorless, pungent, suffocating, aqueous solution of about 28.5 percent ammonia gas: used chiefly as a detergent, for removing stains and extracting certain vegetable coloring agents, and in the manufacture of ammonium salts.
- splinterproof glass — glass that is designed not to form sharp splinters should it be shattered
- spread oneself thin — to draw, stretch, or open out, especially over a flat surface, as something rolled or folded (often followed by out).
- staff-student ratio — the ratio of teachers to pupils or students in a school, college, or university
- stanford university — (education) A University in the city of Palo Alto, California, noted for work in computing, especially artificial intelligence. See SAIL.
- stanford-binet test — a revised version of the Binet-Simon scale, prepared at Stanford University for use in the U.S.
- step-up transformer — a device that transfers an alternating current from one circuit to one or more other circuits with an increase of voltage
- straightforwardness — going or directed straight ahead: a straightforward gaze.
- strait of gibraltar — a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic
- stratford-upon-avon — town in S Warwickshire, England, on the Avon: birthplace & burial place of Shakespeare: pop. of county district (called Stratford-on-Avon) 106,000
- strike a false note — to behave inappropriately
- subsistence farming — farming whose products are intended to provide for the basic needs of the farmer, with little surplus for marketing.
- sugar loaf mountain — a mountain in SE Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. 1280 feet (390 meters).
- superannuation fund — a fund used for paying pensions
- supercritical fluid — A supercritical fluid is a fluid at a temperature and pressure at which there is no difference between liquid and gas.
- surface effect ship — a large, ship-size air cushion vehicle operated over water.
- switchblade (knife) — a large jackknife that snaps open when a release button on the handle is pressed
- take care of sth/sb — If you take care of someone or something, you look after them and prevent them from being harmed or damaged.
- take one's cue from — If you take your cue from someone or something, you do something similar in a particular situation.
- take one's mind off — to stop one from thinking about; turn one's attention from
- taming of the shrew — a comedy (1594?) by Shakespeare.
- teaching fellowship — a fellowship providing a student in a graduate school with free tuition and expenses and stipulating that the student assume some teaching duties in return.
- term life insurance — life insurance for which premiums are paid over a limited time and that covers a specific term, the face value payable only if death occurs within that term.
- the disenfranchised — people who are deprived of the right to vote or other rights of citizenship
- the first amendment — in the US the part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion" or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
- the grapes of wrath — a novel (1939) by John Steinbeck.
- the pilgrim fathers — the English Puritans who sailed on the Mayflower to New England, where they founded Plymouth Colony in SE Massachusetts (1620)
- the roaring forties — the areas of ocean between 40° and 50° latitude in the S Hemisphere, noted for gale-force winds
- theory of equations — the branch of mathematics dealing with methods of finding the solutions to algebraic equations.
- thomas of woodstock — Duke of Gloucester, 1355–97, English prince (son of Edward III).
- thread-line fishing — spinning (def 3).
- throw oneself at sb — If someone throws themselves at you, they make it very obvious that they want to begin a relationship with you, by behaving as though they are sexually attracted to you.
- to be full of beans — If someone is full of beans, they are very lively and have a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
- to make a fast buck — When someone makes a fast buck or makes a quick buck, they earn a lot of money quickly and easily, often by doing something which is considered to be dishonest.
- to run out of steam — If you run out of steam, you stop doing something because you have no more energy or enthusiasm left.
- to tear a strip off — If you tear a strip off someone or if you tear them off a strip, you speak to them angrily and criticize them severely.
- to this/that effect — You use to this effect, to that effect, or to the effect that to indicate that you have given or are giving a summary of something that was said or written, and not the actual words used.
- traffic regulations — rules designed to expedite the flow of traffic and prevent collisions
- transesterification — a reaction between an ester of one alcohol and a second alcohol to form an ester of the second alcohol and an alcohol from the original ester, as that of methyl acetate and ethyl alcohol to form ethyl acetate and methyl alcohol; interesterification.
- transference number — that fraction of the total electric current that anions and cations carry in passing through an electrolytic solution.
- transformationalism — a person who follows or promotes the theories of transformational grammar.
- transformationalist — a person who follows or promotes the theories of transformational grammar.
- transformer station — a station of an electricity generation, transmission and distribution system where voltage is transformed from high to low or the reverse using transformers
- transitional relief — a form of tax relief, designed to smooth large changes in liability, which operates by restricting the proportion by which liability may change per year, both upwards and downwards
- translation of axes — the process of replacing the axes in a Cartesian coordinate system with a new set of axes, parallel to the first, used to write equations of curves not centered about the origin.
- tricks of the trade — expert techniques
- under the shadow of — in danger of; apparently fated for
- unit of measurement — physical quantity
- valley of the kings — a valley on the west bank of the Nile near the site of Thebes: the necropolis of many of the kings and queens of the 18th and 19th dynasties of ancient Egypt, c1350–c1200 b.c.