16-letter words containing h, e, f
- flash eliminator — a device fitted to the muzzle of a firearm to reduce the flash made by the ignited propellant gases
- flash in the pan — a brief, sudden burst of bright light: a flash of lightning.
- flashbulb memory — the clear recollections that a person may have of the circumstances associated with a dramatic event
- flathead catfish — a yellow and brown catfish, Pylodictus olivaris, common in the central U.S., having a flattened head and a projecting lower jaw.
- flatheaded borer — the larva of a metallic wood-boring beetle, having an expanded and flattened anterior end.
- flight attendant — an airline employee who serves meals, attends to passengers' comfort, etc., during a flight.
- floridean starch — the storage polysaccharide of red algae.
- 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.
- follicular phase — a stage of the menstrual cycle, from onset of menstruation to ovulation.
- follow the crowd — copy what others are doing
- foot in the door — If you say that something helps someone to get their foot in the door or their toe in the door, you mean that it gives them an opportunity to start doing something new, usually in an area that is difficult to succeed in.
- for the duration — If you say that something will happen for the duration, you mean that it will happen for as long as a particular situation continues.
- for the meantime — For the meantime means for a period of time from now until something else happens.
- forbid the banns — to raise an objection to a marriage announced in this way
- forbush decrease — the sudden decrease in the intensity of cosmic rays after an increase in solar activity.
- force one's hand — the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb.
- 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 exchange — commercial paper drawn on a person or corporation in a foreign nation.
- forked lightning — Forked lightning is lightning that divides into two or more parts near the ground.
- formylmethionine — Alternative spelling of formyl methionine.
- fort leavenworth — a military reservation and U.S. Army training center in E Kansas adjoining Leavenworth, one of the oldest (1827) military posts W of the Mississippi and site of federal penitentiary.
- forward exchange — a foreign bill purchased at a stipulated price and payable at a future date.
- founders' shares — shares awarded to the founders of a company and often granting special privileges
- four-wheel drive — a drive system in which engine power is transmitted to all four wheels for improved traction.
- fourth amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, prohibiting unlawful search and seizure of personal property.
- fourth dimension — Physics, Mathematics. a dimension in addition to length, width, and depth, used so as to be able to employ geometrical language in discussing phenomena that depend on four variables: Time is considered a fourth dimension for locating points in space-time.
- franchise clause — a clause stipulating that the insured will be responsible for any loss not in excess of a stated amount, and the insurance company will be liable for full payment of the loss equaling or exceeding the amount up to the insured amount.
- francis joseph i — 1830–1916, emperor of Austria 1848–1916; king of Hungary 1867–1916.
- franking machine — a machine that franks letters
- fraternity house — a house occupied by a college or university fraternity.
- fraunhofer lines — a set of dark lines appearing in the continuous emission spectrum of the sun. It is caused by the absorption of light of certain wavelengths coming from the hotter region of the sun by elements in the cooler outer atmosphere
- freeboard length — the length of a vessel, measured on the summer load line from the fore side of the stem to some part of the stern, usually the after side of the rudderpost.
- freight terminal — (on a rail network) a place where freight is stored while awaiting onward transport
- french cameroons — Cameroun (def 2).
- 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 ice cream — a type of ice cream in which an egg and cream mixture is cooked to a light custard before being frozen.
- french indochina — an area in SE Asia, formerly a French colonial federation including Cochin-China, the protectorates of Annam, Cambodia, Tonkin, and Laos, and the leased territory of Kwangchowan: now comprising the three independent states of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Capital: Hanoi.
- 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.
- french telephone — handset (def 1).
- freshly squeezed — You can describe juice that has been recently pressed out of fruit as freshly squeezed.
- freshwater pearl — any of the small pearls produced especially by freshwater mussels.
- friedrich engels — Friedrich [free-drikh] /ˈfri drɪx/ (Show IPA), 1820–95, German socialist in England: collaborated with Karl Marx in systematizing Marxism.
- friedrich wohler — Friedrich [free-drikh] /ˈfri drɪx/ (Show IPA), 1800–82, German chemist.
- from one's heart — very sincerely or deeply
- from the word go — to move or proceed, especially to or from something: They're going by bus.
- ft share indexes — any of a number of share indexes published by the Financial Times to reflect various aspects of stock exchange prices
- full speed ahead — train: at top speed
- full steam ahead — If something such as a plan or a project goes full steam ahead, it progresses quickly.
- full to the brim — If something, especially a container, is filled to the brim or full to the brim with something, it is filled right up to the top.