27-letter words containing i, s, o, t, h

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.
the shape of things to come — If you say that something is the shape of things to come, you mean that it is the start of a new trend or development, and in future things will be like this.
the tail is wagging the dog — If you say that the tail is wagging the dog, you mean that a small or unimportant part of something is becoming too important and is controlling the whole thing.
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 one's hat in the ring — a shaped covering for the head, usually with a crown and brim, especially for wear outdoors.
thyroid stimulating hormone — thyrotropin. Abbreviation: TSH.
thyroid-stimulating hormone — thyrotropin. Abbreviation: TSH.
to be bursting at the seams — to be very full
to breathe a sigh of relief — If people breathe or heave a sigh of relief, they feel happy that something unpleasant has not happened or is no longer happening.
to build up a head of steam — to develop power
to cut someone to the quick — If something cuts you to the quick, it makes you feel very upset.
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 something houseroom — If you say that you wouldn't give something houseroom, you are emphasizing that you do not want it or do not like it at all.
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 go part way to doing sth — to partially achieve something; go some way towards doing something
to keep up with the joneses — if you say that someone is keeping up with the Joneses, you mean that they are doing something in order to show that they have as much money as other people, rather than because they really want to do it
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 nip something in the bud — If you nip something such as bad behaviour in the bud, you stop it before it can develop very far.
to practise what you preach — If you say that someone practises what they preach, you mean that they behave in the way that they encourage other people to behave in.
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
to run counter to something — If one thing runs counter to another, or if one thing is counter to another, the first thing is the opposite of the second thing or conflicts with it.
to the accompaniment of sth — If one thing happens to the accompaniment of another, they happen at the same time.
to the best of your ability — as well as you can
to throw money at something — If you say that someone is throwing money at a problem, you are critical of them for trying to improve it by spending money on it, instead of doing more thoughtful and practical things to improve it.
two shakes of a lamb's tail — to move or sway with short, quick, irregular vibratory movements.
what sb is (going) on about — If you ask someone what they are on about or what they are going on about, you are puzzled because you cannot understand what they are talking about.
what you see is all you get — (jargon) (WYSIAYG) /wiz'ee-ayg/ Describes a user interface under which "What You See Is *All* You Get"; an unhappy variant of WYSIWYG. Visual, "point-and-drool interfaces" are easy to learn but often lack depth; they often frustrate advanced users who would be better served by a command-style interface. When this happens, the frustrated user has a WYSIAYG problem. This term is most often used of editors, word processors, and document formatting programs. WYSIWYG "desktop publishing" programs, for example, are a clear win for creating small documents with lots of fonts and graphics in them, especially things like newsletters and presentation slides. When typesetting book-length manuscripts, on the other hand, scale changes the nature of the task; one quickly runs into WYSIAYG limitations, and the increased power and flexibility of a command-driven formatter like TeX or Unix's troff becomes not just desirable but a necessity. Compare YAFIYGI.
while-you-wait heel repairs — repairs to damaged heels of footwear, carried out while the customer waits
wipe the floor with someone — If you wipe the floor with someone, you defeat them completely in a competition or discussion.
with one's back to the wall — in a difficult or desperate situation
you can't have it both ways — If someone says that you can't have it both ways, they are telling you that you have to choose between two things and cannot do or have them both.

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