12-letter words containing n, a, f, i
- arabian gulf — an arm of the Arabian Sea, between SW Iran and Arabia. 600 miles (965 km) long.
- arfvedsonite — a type of hornblende with the composition Na3(Fe,Mg)4FeSi8O22(OH)2
- arseniferous — Lb geology Containing or producing arsenic.
- assuefaction — the condition of being or becoming familiar with or used to something
- astroturfing — a PR tactic used in politics and advertising in which actors are paid to display overt and apparently spontaneous grassroots support for a particular product, policy, or event
- austin friar — one of the Hermits of St. Augustine.
- backflipping — the process of reversing one's position
- bairnsfather — Bruce. 1888–1959, British cartoonist, born in India: best known for his cartoons of the war in the trenches during World War I
- barking frog — a robber frog, Hylactophryne augusti, of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico, having a call like a dog's bark.
- basification — the process of making something alkaline
- be damned if — If someone says 'I'm damned if I'm going to do it' or 'I'll be damned if I'll do it', they are emphasizing that they do not intend to do something and think it is unreasonable for anyone to expect them to do it.
- beaconsfield — a town in SE England, in Buckinghamshire. Pop: 12 292 (2001)
- bed of nails — a situation or position of extreme difficulty
- beefheartian — of or recalling the music of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, an avant-garde rock/blues band (1966–1982); incorporating strange rhythms, free jazz elements, bizarre lyrics, and growling vocals
- ben franklin — Aretha [uh-ree-thuh] /əˈri θə/ (Show IPA), born 1942, U.S. singer.
- beneficially — conferring benefit; advantageous; helpful: the beneficial effect of sunshine.
- beneficiated — to treat (ore) to make more suitable for smelting.
- bid defiance — to resist boldly
- bifunctional — having two functions
- bioflavonoid — any of a group of biologically active flavone compounds that may help maintain the blood's capillary walls, reducing the likelihood of hemorrhaging: widely found in plants, esp. citrus fruits
- bird fancier — a person who keeps, breeds, or sells birds
- blind flange — a disk for closing the end of a pipe, having holes for bolting it to a flange.
- bluefin tuna — the largest tuna (Thunnus thynnus): it has bright red flesh and is important as a game and food fish
- bluesnarfing — the practice of using one Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to steal contact details, ring tones, images, etc from another
- boniface iii — pope a.d. 607.
- boniface vii — antipope a.d. 974, 984–985.
- brain freeze — Also called ice-cream headache. a pain in the temples and forehead brought on by quickly consuming very cold food or drink.
- burkina faso — an inland republic in W Africa: dominated by Mossi kingdoms (10th–19th centuries); French protectorate established in 1896; became an independent republic in 1960; consists mainly of a flat savanna plateau. Official language: French; Mossi and other African languages also widely spoken. Religion: mostly animist, with a large Muslim minority. Currency: franc. Capital: Ouagadougou. Pop: 17 812 961 (2013 est). Area: 273 200 sq km (105 900 sq miles)
- cafe curtain — a short curtain suspended directly downward from a series of rings sliding on a horizontal rod so as to cover the lower and sometimes upper portions of a window.
- camouflaging — Present participle of camouflage.
- candlefishes — Plural form of candlefish.
- carbon fiber — a very strong, lightweight synthetic fiber used in protective clothing, spacecraft components, racing shells, etc.
- carbon fibre — a black silky thread of pure carbon made by heating and stretching textile fibres and used because of its lightness and strength at high temperatures for reinforcing resins, ceramics, and metals, esp in turbine blades and for fishing rods
- card surfing — a form of cash-card fraud in which one person watches another using a cash dispenser, notes his or her personal identification number, and, after an accomplice has stolen the card, uses the card to withdraw cash
- cardinalfish — any of the perchlike fishes of the family Apogonidae, many species of which are bright red with black markings.
- carving fork — a large, two-tined fork with a metal guard to protect the hand, used to hold meat in place as it is being carved
- casing knife — a knife for trimming wallpaper after it has been attached.
- central-fire — center-fire.
- centrifugate — the denser of the centrifuged materials.
- chafing dish — a vessel with a heating apparatus beneath it, for cooking or keeping food warm at the table
- chauffeuring — Present participle of chauffeur.
- chieftainess — a female chieftain
- chinese leaf — the edible leaves of a Chinese cabbage
- cliff-hanger — a melodramatic or adventure serial in which each installment ends in suspense in order to interest the reader or viewer in the next installment.
- cliffhangers — Plural form of cliffhanger.
- cliffhanging — Present participle of cliffhang.
- codification — the systematic organization of methods, rules, etc
- combat knife — a large knife for military use
- conferential — Of or pertaining to a conference.
- confessional — A confessional is the small room in a church where Christians, especially Roman Catholics, go to confess their sins.