17-letter words containing i, l, a
- drilling platform — a structure, either fixed to the sea bed or mobile, which supports the machinery and equipment (the drilling rig), together with the stores, required for digging an offshore oil well
- drink like a fish — any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales.
- drive to the wall — to force into an awkward situation
- drive up the wall — to cause to become crazy or furious
- drive-by download — an incidence of an unwanted program being automatically downloaded to a computer, often without the user's knowledge
- duality principle — the principle that a mathematical duality exists under certain conditions.
- dull as dishwater — water in which dishes are, or have been, washed.
- dutch elm disease — a disease of elms characterized by wilting, yellowing, and falling of the leaves and caused by a fungus, Ceratostomella ulmi, transmitted by bark beetles.
- dynamically typed — dynamic typing
- dynamics analyzer — (language) (DYANA) An early language specialised for vibrational and other dynamic physical systems.
- early closing day — a day on which most shops in a town or area close after lunch
- early renaissance — a style of art developed principally in Florence, Italy, during the 15th century and characterized chiefly by the development of linear perspective, chiaroscuro, and geometrically based compositions.
- east indian lotus — a southern Asian lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, of the water lily family, having fragrant pink or rose flowers.
- eat flaming death — (humour, abuse) A construction popularised among hackers by the infamous CPU Wars comic; supposedly derive from a famously turgid line in a WWII-era anti-Nazi propaganda comic that ran "Eat flaming death, non-Aryan mongrels!" or something of the sort (however, it is also reported that the Firesign Theater's 1975 album "In The Next World, You're On Your Own" included the phrase "Eat flaming death, fascist media pigs"; this may have been an influence). Used in humorously overblown expressions of hostility. "Eat flaming death, EBCDIC users!"
- echo cancellation — A process which removes unwanted echoes from the signal on a telephone line. Echoes are usually caused by impedance mismatches along an analogue line.
- economic blockade — an embargo on trade with a country, esp one which prohibits receipt of exports from that country, with the intention of disrupting the country's economy
- edward fitzgerald — Edward, 1809–83, English poet: translator of drama and poetry, especially of Omar Khayyám.
- ehelp corporation — (company) A vendor of Microsoft Windows application development tools such as RoboHELP and RoboDemo. EHelp were formerly (around 1997) Blue Sky Software. Address: 7777 Fay Avenue, Suite 201, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Telephone: +1-800-793-0364, +1 (619) 459 6365. Fax: +1 (619) 459 6366.
- elastic stockings — something made of elastic which you wear on your legs to aid circulation
- election campaign — efforts to promote party or candidate to voters
- electric constant — the permittivity of free space, which has the value 8.854 187 × 10–12 farad per metre
- electric retarder — An electric retarder is an electromagnetic transmission brake that is only effective when a vehicle is moving.
- electrical fitter — someone whose job is to fit electrical equipment
- electricity board — a company which supplies electricity
- electroanesthesia — Anesthesia induced by cranial electrotherapy stimulation.
- electrocardiogram — A record or display of a person’s heartbeat produced by electrocardiography.
- electrochemically — In an electrochemical manner.
- electrofiltration — Electrofiltration is a separation process in which an electric field is applied across a filter to improve separation.
- electromechanical — Of, relating to, or denoting a mechanical device that is electrically operated.
- electromyographic — Using electromyography.
- electron affinity — a measure of the ability of an atom or molecule to form a negative ion, expressed as the energy released when an electron is attached
- electronegativity — The tendency, or a measure of the ability, of an atom or molecule to attract electrons and thus form bonds.
- electroretinogram — A record of the electrical activity of the retina, used in medical diagnosis and research.
- electrostatically — In an electrostatic manner, by electrostatic means.
- elliptical spring — An elliptical spring is a spring that is made from two springs in the shape of elongated ovals laid cut in half and back-to-back.
- emergency landing — an occasion when a place is forced to land: for example, because of a mechanical fault, bad weather, terrorism, etc.
- emotional baggage — burden of personal experience
- emotional capital — When people refer to the emotional capital of a company, they mean all the psychological assets and resources of the company, such as how the employees feel about the company.
- emotional cripple — someone who is unable to feel or show true emotion and so cannot form relationships with other people
- empirical formula — a chemical formula indicating the proportion of each element present in a molecule
- encephalomyelitic — Relating to encephalomyelitis.
- encephalomyelitis — Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, typically due to acute viral infection.
- english breakfast — An English breakfast is a breakfast consisting of cooked food such as bacon, eggs, sausages, and tomatoes. It also includes toast and tea or coffee.
- entrepreneurially — In an entrepreneurial manner.
- environmentalists — Plural form of environmentalist.
- epicycloidal gear — a gear of an epicyclic train
- epidemiologically — With regard to epidemiology.
- epistemologically — In a manner that pertains to epistemology.
- epithelialization — (biology) the process that covers a wound with epithelial tissue.
- equal opportunity — policies that bar discrimination