28-letter words containing l, e, a, t
- like a cat on a hot tin roof — in an uneasy or agitated state
- like a lamb to the slaughter — without resistance
- like nailing jelly to a tree — (jargon, humour) Used to describe a task thought to be impossible, especially one in which the difficulty arises from poor specification or inherent slipperiness in the problem domain. "Trying to display the "prettiest" arrangement of nodes and arcs that diagrams a given graph is like nailing jelly to a tree, because nobody's sure what "prettiest" means algorithmically."
- like water off a duck's back — You say that criticism is like water off a duck's back or water off a duck's back to emphasize that it is not having any effect on the person being criticized.
- linear differential equation — an equation involving derivatives in which the dependent variables and all derivatives appearing in the equation are raised to the first power.
- local mail transfer protocol — (messaging, protocol) (LMTP) A protocol designed as an alternative to ESMTP for cases where the mail receiver does not manage a queue. LMTP is an application level protocol that runs on top of TCP/IP. It was initially defined in RFC 2033, and uses (with a few changes) the syntax and semantics of ESMTP. It should be used only by specific prior arrangement and configuration, and it must not be used on TCP port 25 (the SMTP port).
- logic replacement technology — (LRT) Reading, BERKS. Tel: (0734) 751087. Marketing Director Bob Barrett. Manufacturers of the Ethernet hardware including the Filtabyte Ethernet controller card and EtherGate open access gateway.
- lotus notes formula language — (language) A macro language for Lotus Notes that uses commands starting with @, e.g. @If, @Left, @Right, @Username. Many Notes applications are built with just this language.
- machine-assisted translation — translation done by a human translator who uses computer software to assist with the translation
- magnetic particle inspection — a method of testing for cracks and other defects in a magnetic material, such as steel, by covering it with a magnetic powder and magnetizing it: any variation in the concentration of the powder indicates a flaw in the material
- maxwell-boltzmann statistics — statistics for classical physics, based on the assumption that in a given physical system consisting of indistinguishable particles and regions, all possible arrangements of the particles in the various regions have equal probability.
- medical specialist registrar — a hospital doctor senior to a house officer but junior to a consultant, specializing in medicine
- meter-kilogram-second-ampere — of or relating to the system of units in which the meter, kilogram, second, and ampere are the principal units of length, mass, time, and electric current. Abbreviation: mksa, MKSA.
- methylphenylcarbinyl acetate — a colorless, synthetic liquid, C 1 0 H 1 2 O 2 , having a strong floral odor and occurring in oil of gardenia: used chiefly in gardenia and lily perfumes.
- microsoft foundation classes — (programming) (MFC) Software structures in C++, the Windows base classes which can respond to messages, make windows, and from which application specific classes can be derived.
- mount mckinley national park — a national park in S central Alaska, including Denali (mountain). 3030 sq. mi. (7850 sq. km).
- multimedia personal computer — (multimedia) (MPC) A specification published by the Multimedia PC Marketing Council in 1990 to encourage the adoption of a standard multimedia computing platform. In May 1993, the MPC Marketing Council published a new specification called MPC Level 2 Specification as an enhanced multimedia computer standard. The original MPC specification, now also known as the MPC Level 1 Specification, continues in full effect. The appearance of the MPC or MPC2 certification mark on a computer system or upgrade kit indicates that the hardware meets the corresponding (Level 1 or Level 2) MPC Marketing Council specification. Software bearing the Multimedia PC mark has been designed to work on Multimedia PC licensed hardware. By establishing a standard platform, certifying hardware compliance and providing inter-operability between software and hardware for the consumer, the MPC Marketing Council is encouraging widespread use of multimedia applications and hardware.
- national academy of sciences — a private organization, created by an act of Congress (1863), that furthers science and advises the U.S. government on scientific and technical issues. Abbreviation: N.A.S., NAS.
- national bureau of standards — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- national executive committee — the body responsible for the administration of the UK Labour Party
- national labor relations act — an act of Congress (1935) that forbade any interference by employers with the formation and operation of labor unions.
- national savings certificate — (in Britain) a certificate bought from the National Savings department which can be redeemed tax-free with accrued interest, usually after 5 years
- national semiconductor 32000 — (processor) (NS32000)
The first of a series of microprocessors from National Semiconductor. The 320xx processors have an interface which allows coprocessors such as FPUs and MMUs to be attached in a chain. The 320xx was the predecessor of the Swordfish processor. - network interface controller — (hardware, networking) (NIC or "network interface card") An adapter circuit board installed in a computer to provide a physical connection to a network.
- newly industrialized country — a country that has recently become, or is now in the process of becoming, industrialized
- nongovernmental organization — A nongovernmental organization is the same as an NGO.
- numerical weather prediction — a method of predicting weather through the use of high-speed computers, specifically by the time integration of the fundamental equations of hydrodynamics in a mathematically modeled atmosphere.
- object linking and embedding — (operating system) (OLE) A distributed object system and protocol from Microsoft, also used on the Acorn Archimedes. OLE allows an editor to "farm out" part of a document to another editor and then reimport it. For example, a desk-top publishing system might send some text to a word processor or a picture to a bitmap editor using OLE.
- online public access catalog — (library) (OPAC) A computerised system to catalogue and organise materials in a library (the kind that contains books). OPACs have replaced card-based catalogues in many libraries. An OPAC is available to library users (public access).
- organic light-emitting diode — a cell that emits light when voltage is applied: used as a display device replacing LCD technology in handheld devices such as mobile phones because it is brighter, thinner, faster,and cheaper
- ousterhout's false dichotomy — Ousterhout's dichotomy
- packet in plastic grid array — (integrated circuit) (PPGA) The package used for Intel's Celeron Socket 370 CPU.
- palestinian autonomous areas — the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in Israel: these areas were granted autonomous status under the control of the Palestinian National Authority following the 1993 peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization
- paper feed control character — (PFCC) An obscure mechanism used in Fortran run-time systems whereby the first character of a line of output to a line-printer caused various actions after the line was printed:
- paradox application language — (PAL) The programming language for Paradox, Borland's relational database.
- partial equivalence relation — (PER) A relation R on a set S where R is symmetric (x R y => y R x) and transitive (x R y R z => x R z) and where there may exist elements in S for which the relation is not defined. A PER is an equivalence relation on the subset for which it is defined, i.e. it is also reflexive (x R x).
- pentaerythritol tetranitrate — a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, explosive solid, C 5 H 8 N 4 O 1 2 , used chiefly as a high explosive and as a vasodilator in treating angina pectoris.
- permanent virtual connection — Permanent Virtual Circuit
- persistent organic pollutant — a toxin resulting from a manufacturing process, which remains in the environment for many years
- personal liability insurance — Personal liability insurance protects the insured if they are sued for claims that are covered by the insurance policy.
- phenylmethylcarbinyl acetate — methylphenylcarbinyl acetate.
- playboy of the western world — a satiric comedy (1907) by John Millington Synge.
- plug compatible manufacturer — (company) (PCM) A manufacturer of equipment that some other manufacturer's system can identify and work with. The PCM's device replaces the original manufacturer's. Most PCMs competed with IBM. PCM devices normally offer a cost-performance benefit over the original device. For example, several PCM versions of the Direct-Access Storage Device IBM 3350 offered twice the storage and improved data access (dual port). Plug compatible devices include replacement CPUs, such as the Hitachi 7/90 series (which could be substituted for IBM 3090 series processors), I/O subsystems, and dumb terminals like the IBM 3270.
- potassium antimonyl tartrate — a white, water-soluble, sweet and metallic-tasting, poisonous powder or granules, C 4 H 4 KO 7 Sb, used as a mordant for dyeing textiles and leather, and in medicine as an expectorant, for inducing vomiting, and for infections by schistosomes.
- principle of complementarity — complementarity principle.
- probability density function — a function of a continuous variable whose integral over a region gives the probability that a random variable falls within the region.
- put one's cards on the table — a usually rectangular piece of stiff paper, thin pasteboard, or plastic for various uses, as to write information on or printed as a means of identifying the holder: a 3″ × 5″ file card; a membership card.
- put one's hand to the plough — to begin or undertake a task
- quick mail queueing protocol — (communications) (QMQP) A protocol that provides a central e-mail queue for a cluster of hosts. QMOP is supposed to provide fast transfers of messages with many recipients as it can batch them up as a single transaction. It listens on port 628.
- quick mail transfer protocol — (communications) (QMTP) An SMTP replacement that works better over high latency links as it doesn't require as much interaction as SMTP. QMTP listens on port 209 and is used by qmail.