19-letter words containing k, l
- knights of columbus — an international fraternal and benevolent organization of Roman Catholic men, founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882.
- komandorski islands — a group of islands in the Bering Sea, in NE Russia, E of the Kamchatka Peninsula: U.S.-Japan naval battle, 1943.
- lady baltimore cake — a white layer cake using only the beaten whites of eggs and spread with a fruitnut filling consisting of raisins, figs, walnuts or pecans, and sometimes candied cherries.
- lakshadweep islands — a group of 26 coral islands and reefs in the Arabian Sea, off the SW coast of India: a union territory of India since 1956. Administrative centre: Kavaratti Island. Pop: 60 595 (2001). Area: 28 sq km (11 sq miles)
- lame duck amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933, that abolished the December to March session of those Congressmen defeated for reelection in November.
- lean over backwards — to make a special effort, esp in order to please
- left-luggage locker — a coin-operated locker in which luggage can be left
- leukoencephalopathy — (medicine) Any disease that effects the white matter of the brain.
- like a cheshire cat — If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely.
- like a dog's dinner — dressed smartly or ostentatiously
- locomotive workshop — a place where locomotives are built or repaired
- long-and-short work — an arrangement of rectangular quoins or jambstones set alternately vertically and horizontally.
- look (like) oneself — to appear to be in normal health, spirits, etc.
- look sb up and down — If someone looks you up and down, they direct their eyes from your head to your feet, in a rude and superior way and often as though they disapprove of you.
- lord baltimore cake — a yellow layer cake, using only the yolks of eggs and having a fruit-nut filling consisting of pecans, almonds, maraschino cherries, and macaroon crumbs.
- lumholtz's kangaroo — boongary.
- make oneself scarce — insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant: Meat and butter were scarce during the war.
- memory like a sieve — a very poor memory
- methyl ethyl ketone — a colorless, flammable liquid, C 4 H 8 O, produced by synthesis or fermentation: used chiefly as a solvent, as a paint remover, and in the manufacture of plastics. Abbreviation: MEK.
- miracle of st. mark — a painting (1548) by Tintoretto.
- mutual savings bank — a noncapitalized savings bank that distributes its net earnings to depositors.
- national book award — any of several awards given annually, 1949–79, to an author whose book was judged the best in its category: administered by the Association of American Publishers. Abbreviation: NBA, N.B.A.
- natural killer cell — a small killer cell that destroys virus-infected cells or tumor cells without activation by an immune system cell or antibody.
- network file system — (networking, operating system) (NFS) A protocol developed by Sun Microsystems, and defined in RFC 1094, which allows a computer to access files over a network as if they were on its local disks. This protocol has been incorporated in products by more than two hundred companies, and is now a de facto standard. NFS is implemented using a connectionless protocol (UDP) in order to make it stateless. See Nightmare File System, WebNFS.
- niagara-on-the-lake — a town in SE Ontario, in S Canada, on Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Niagara River, on the border between Canada and New York.
- no shrinking violet — If you say that someone is no shrinking violet, you mean that they are not at all shy.
- norfolk island pine — a coniferous evergreen tree, Araucaria heterophylla (or A. excelsa), having whorled branches and needlelike foliage, widely cultivated as a houseplant.
- not by a long chalk — by no means; not possibly
- not much to look at — unattractive or unimpressive
- oak-leaved geranium — a geranium, Pelargonium quercifolium, of southern Africa, having oaklike leaves with purple veins and sparse clusters of purple flowers with darker markings.
- office-block ballot — a ballot on which the candidates are listed alphabetically, with or without their party designations, in columns under the office for which they were nominated.
- olive-backed thrush — Swainson's thrush.
- on the baker's list — in good health
- optical mark reader — (hardware) (OMR) A special scanning device that can read carefully placed pencil marks on specially designed documents. OMR is frequenty used in forms, questionnaires, and answer-sheets.
- oysters rockefeller — oysters topped typically with cooked spinach, cream sauce or butter, bacon, and seasonings, and broiled in a bed of rock salt: served on a half shell
- particle kinematics — Particle kinematics is the study of the movement of particles, without considering the forces that cause this movement.
- peak envelope power — (communications) (PEP) The maximum power output by a radio transmitter over one complete RF cycle at any modulation.
- peak listening time — the time at which the highest numbers of audiences are listening to the radio
- phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- pileated woodpecker — a large, black-and-white American woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, having a prominent red crest.
- pistol-handle knife — a table knife, especially of the 18th century, having a slightly curved handle resembling the grip of a flintlock pistol.
- port jackson willow — an Australian acacia tree, Acacia cyanophylla, introduced in the 19th century into South Africa, where it is now regarded as a pest
- postal savings bank — any of the savings banks formerly operated by local post offices and limited to small accounts.
- prairie rattlesnake — a rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis viridis, of the prairies of western North America.
- presentation skills — the set of techniques and skills required successfully to present oral information to others
- pull one's socks up — to make a determined effort, esp in order to regain control of a situation
- raise one's hackles — one of the long, slender feathers on the neck or saddle of certain birds, as the domestic rooster, much used in making artificial flies for anglers.
- rake over the coals — a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- red-shouldered hawk — a North American hawk, Buteo lineatus, having rufous shoulders.