27-letter words containing h, e, d, r, o
- on the understanding (that) — If you agree to do something on the understanding that something else will be done, you do it because you have been told that the other thing will definitely be done.
- plain old telephone service — (communications) (POTS) The traditional voice service provided by phone companies, especially when opposed to data services. Note that the acronym POTS is sometimes expanded as "Plain Old Telephone System" in which sense it is synonymous to Public Switched Telephone Network but used somewhat derogatively.
- potassium hydrogen tartrate — a colourless or white soluble crystalline salt used in baking powders, soldering fluxes, and laxatives. Formula: KHC4H4O6
- pull the rug out from under — to betray, expose, or leave defenceless
- rise/raise sb from the dead — When Christians say that Jesus Christ rose from the dead or raised someone from the dead, they mean that Jesus came back to life after he had died, or brought a dead person back to life.
- rough endoplasmic reticulum — a network of tubular membranes within the cytoplasm of the cell, occurring either with a smooth surface (smooth endoplasmic reticulum) or studded with ribosomes (rough endoplasmic reticulum) involved in the transport of materials.
- second-class honours degree — an honours degree of the second class, usually further divided into an upper and lower designation
- sell your soul to the devil — If you say that someone has sold their soul to the devil, you mean that you disapprove of them because they have done something that you think is not right in order to get what they want.
- soft-coated wheaten terrier — one of an Irish breed of medium-sized sporting terriers having an abundant, soft, medium-length coat, any shade of wheat in color, with its head and face profusely covered with coat.
- someone's side of the story — If someone tells you their side of the story, they tell you why they behaved in a particular way and why they think they were right, when other people think that person behaved wrongly.
- stand/turn sth on it's head — If you stand an idea or argument on its head or turn it on its head, you think about it or treat it in a completely new and different way.
- stanford research institute — Former name of SRI International.
- sudden adult death syndrome — the unexpected death of a young adult, usually due to undetected inherited heart disease
- take sth into consideration — If you take something into consideration, you think about it because it is relevant to what you are doing.
- teach an old dog new tricks — to induce a person of settled habits to adopt new methods or ideas
- the hunchback of notre dame — French Notre Dame de Paris. a novel (1831) by Victor Hugo.
- the long and (the) short of — the whole story of in a few words; gist or point of
- the odds are in sb's favour — If you say that the odds are in someone's favour, you mean that they are likely to succeed in what they are doing.
- third law of thermodynamics — any of three principles variously stated in equivalent forms, being the principle that the change of energy of a thermodynamic system is equal to the heat transferred minus the work done (first law of thermodynamics) the principle that no cyclic process is possible in which heat is absorbed from a reservoir at a single temperature and converted completely into mechanical work (second law of thermodynamics) and the principle that it is impossible to reduce the temperature of a system to absolute zero in a finite number of operations (third law of thermodynamics)
- throw someone under the bus — to expose someone to an unpleasant fate, esp in order to save oneself
- thyroid stimulating hormone — thyrotropin. Abbreviation: TSH.
- thyroid-stimulating hormone — thyrotropin. Abbreviation: TSH.
- to fight a rearguard action — if someone is fighting a rearguard action or mounting a rearguard action, they are trying very hard to prevent something from happening, even though it is probably too late for them to succeed
- to give someone a free hand — If someone gives you a free hand, they give you the freedom to use your own judgment and to do exactly as you wish.
- to give your word of honour — to solemnly promise
- to go into the record books — to achieve one of the best results that have ever been achieved in a particular sport or activity, for example the fastest time, the furthest distance, or the greatest number of victories
- to know something backwards — In British English, if you say that someone knows something backwards, you are emphasizing that they know it very well. In American English, you say that someone knows something backward and forward.
- to rear/raise its ugly head — If you say that something unpleasant or embarrassing rears its ugly head or raises its ugly head, you mean that it occurs, often after not occurring for some time.
- to rule sb with a high hand — to behave imperiously towards someone
- trichlorophenoxyacetic acid — an insoluble crystalline solid; 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid. It is a plant hormone and is used as a weedkiller. Formula: C8H5Cl3O3
- wirehaired pointing griffon — griffon2 (def 2).
- yeoman of the (royal) guard — a member of a ceremonial guard for the British royal family, made up traditionally of 100 men