16-letter words containing i, b, u, p
- library pictures — a caption used to alert viewers that footage being broadcast is from an earlier time and is not happening now
- limited-stop bus — a bus which only stops at a small number of predetermined stops, rather than on request
- mari el republic — a constituent republic of W central Russia, in the middle Volga basin. Capital: Yoshkar-Ola. Pop: 728 000 (2002). Area: 23 200 sq km (8955 sq miles)
- niche publishing — publishing books that are intended for a very specialized market
- non-reproducible — to make a copy, representation, duplicate, or close imitation of: to reproduce a picture.
- october surprise — a major event, occurring shortly before a presidential election, which influences the result
- operating budget — money allocated to a project
- outboard profile — an exterior side elevation of a vessel, showing all deck structures, rigging, fittings, etc.
- oversubscription — to subscribe for more of than is available, expected, or required: The charity drive was oversubscribed by several thousand dollars.
- paint-by-numbers — formulaic; showing no original thought or creativity
- paratuberculosis — Johne's disease.
- patent ambiguity — uncertainty of meaning created by the obscure or ambiguous language appearing on the face of a written instrument.
- pietermaritzburg — a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Capital: Pietermaritzburg.
- pit bull terrier — American Staffordshire terrier.
- pourriture noble — noble rot.
- powerfully built — (of a person, esp a man) big and physically strong, with large muscles
- pre-subscription — a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.
- pro bono publico — for the public good or welfare.
- public ownership — ownership by the state; nationalization
- public relations — (used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
- public schoolboy — a boy attending a public school, or a man who attended one
- public transport — fare-paying travel
- publication date — the date on which a book or periodical is or is planned to be published.
- publicity agency — an advertising agency; a firm that gets publicity for people or products
- publishing house — a company that publishes books, pamphlets, engravings, or the like: a venerable publishing house in Boston.
- put in mothballs — to postpone work on (a project, activity, etc)
- put sb/sth first — If you put someone or something first, you treat or consider them as more important than anything else.
- republican party — one of the two major political parties in the U.S.: originated 1854–56.
- republican river — a river flowing E from E Colorado through Nebraska and Kansas into the Kansas River. 422 miles (680 km) long.
- saint petersburg — Also called Russian Empire. Russian Rossiya. a former empire in E Europe and N and W Asia: overthrown by the Russian Revolution 1917. Capital: St. Petersburg (1703–1917).
- schaumburg-lippe — a former state in NW Germany.
- sodium perborate — a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, NaBO 2 ⋅3H 2 O or NaBO 3 ⋅4H 2 O, used chiefly as a bleaching agent and antiseptic.
- southern baptist — a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, founded in Augusta, Georgia, in 1845, that is strictly Calvinistic and active in religious publishing and education.
- spanish bluebell — a bulbous plant, Endymion hispanicus, of the lily family, native to Spain and Portugal, having blue, white, or pink, bell-shaped flowers.
- sub-postmistress — (in Britain) a woman who runs a sub-post office
- subsistence crop — a food plant which is grown by a farmer for consumption by himself and his family, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
- subtropical high — one of several highs, as the Azores and Pacific highs, that prevail over the oceans at latitudes of about 30 degrees N and S. Also called subtropical anticyclone. Compare high (def 37).
- superserviceable — overly disposed to be of service; officious.
- susceptibilities — emotional sensibilities; feelings
- take by surprise — to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness: Her beauty surprised me.
- the public purse — money from or controlled by the government
- to bite your lip — If you bite your lip or your tongue, you stop yourself from saying something that you want to say, because it would be the wrong thing to say in the circumstances.
- tridarn cupboard — a Welsh cupboard of the late 17th and 18th centuries, with an open, canopied upper section for display.
- typhoid bacillus — the bacterium Salmonella typhosa, causing typhoid fever.
- un-reprehensible — deserving of reproof, rebuke, or censure; blameworthy.
- unaccomplishable — to bring to its goal or conclusion; carry out; perform; finish: to accomplish one's mission.
- uncomprehensible — capable of being comprehended or understood; intelligible.
- unimpressionable — easily impressed or influenced; susceptible: an impressionable youngster.
- union membership — members of a trade union
- unpredictability — not predictable; not to be foreseen or foretold: an unpredictable occurrence.