17-letter words containing n, k, o, s
- rocket propulsion — propulsion of an object by thrust developed by a rocket.
- rybinsk reservoir — a vast water reservoir in W central Russia on the River Volga and its tributaries Sheksna and Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam
- sanitation worker — a person employed to collect, haul away, and dispose of garbage.
- second balkan war — Balkan War (def 2).
- second-hand smoke — from sb else's cigarette
- self-acknowledged — widely recognized; generally accepted: an acknowledged authority on Chinese art.
- selkirk mountains — a mountain range in SW Canada, in SE British Columbia. Highest peak: Mount Sir Sandford, 3533 m (11 590 ft)
- settlement worker — a person who works with underprivileged people in a settlement house.
- shake one's booty — to dance
- shoestring tackle — a tackle made around the ankles of the ball carrier.
- single-track road — a road that is only wide enough for one vehicle
- skate on thin ice — to place oneself in a dangerous or delicate situation
- skin of our teeth — a play (1942) by Thornton Wilder.
- smoke and mirrors — (used with a singular or plural verb) something that distorts or blurs facts, figures, etc., like a magic or conjuring trick; artful deception.
- social networking — the development of social and professional contacts; the sharing of information and services among people with a common interest.
- social notworking — the practice of spending time unproductively on social networking websites, esp when one should be working
- south lanarkshire — a council area of S Scotland, comprising the S part of the historical county of Lanarkshire: included within Strathclyde Region from 1975 to 1996: has uplands in the S and part of the Glasgow conurbation in the N: mainly agricultural. Administrative centre: Hamilton. Pop: 303 010 (2003 est). Area: 1771 sq km (684 sq miles)
- speak one's piece — a separate or limited portion or quantity of something: a piece of land; a piece of chocolate.
- split keyboarding — the act or practice of editing data from one terminal on another terminal
- spring cankerworm — the striped, green caterpillar of any of several geometrid moths: a foliage pest of various fruit and shade trees, as Paleacrita vernata (spring cankerworm) and Alsophila pometaria (fall cankerworm)
- stonewall jackson — Andrew ("Old Hickory") 1767–1845, U.S. general: 7th president of the U.S. 1829–37.
- sun-2 workstation — (computer) A Unix workstation produced by Sun Microsystems, Inc., based on the Motorola 68000. Followed by the Sun-3 Workstation.
- sun-3 workstation — (computer) A Unix workstation produced by Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the 1980s, based on the Motorola 68020. Successor to the Sun-2 Workstation, followed by the Sun-4 Workstation. The Sun-3 had a custom MMU. A couple of mutant models used an entirely different architecture.
- sun-4 workstation — (computer) A Unix workstation produced by Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the late 1980s[?], based on SPARC processors. The Sun-4 followed the Sun-3 Workstation. Later SPARC-based workstations were called "SPARCstations".
- sweet mock orange — the syringa, Philadelphus coronarius.
- take into custody — to arrest
- take no prisoners — to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions
- take second place — If one thing takes second place to another, it is considered to be less important and is given less attention than the other thing.
- take some beating — to be difficult to improve upon
- take sth on trust — If you take something on trust after having heard or read it, you believe it completely without checking it.
- take to one's bed — to remain in bed, esp because of illness
- take upon oneself — to take the responsibility for; accept as a charge
- take-no-prisoners — wholeheartedly aggressive; zealous; gung-ho: a businessman with a take-no-prisoners attitude toward dealmaking.
- the joke is on sb — If you say that the joke is on a particular person, you mean that they have been made to look very foolish by something.
- the plot thickens — People sometimes say 'the plot thickens' when a situation or series of events is getting more and more complicated and mysterious.
- think in terms of — If you say that you are thinking in terms of doing a particular thing, you mean that you are considering it.
- to get to know sb — If you get to know someone, you find out what they are like by spending time with them.
- to know no bounds — If you say that a feeling or quality knows no bounds, you are emphasizing that it is very strong or intense.
- to know the ropes — If you know the ropes, you know how a particular job or task should be done.
- to make ends meet — If you find it difficult to make ends meet, you can only just manage financially because you hardly have enough money for the things you need.
- to risk your neck — If you say that someone is risking their neck, you mean they are doing something very dangerous, often in order to achieve something.
- turkish towelling — woven cloth which is used to make towels, wash cloths, etc
- unofficial strike — a strike that is not approved by the strikers' trade union
- utagawa kuniyoshi — original name Igusa Magosabwo. 1797–1861, Japanese painter and printmaker of the ukiyo-e school, best known for his prints of warriors and landscapes
- verkhoyansk range — a mountain range in the Sakha Republic, in E Siberia, Russia. About 600 miles (970 km) long.
- walk on eggshells — to be very cautious or diplomatic for fear of upsetting someone
- what does sb know — You can use expressions such as What does she know? and What do they know? when you think that someone has no right to comment on a situation because they do not understand it.
- whiskey rebellion — a revolt of settlers in western Pennsylvania in 1794 against a federal excise tax on whiskey: suppressed by militia called out by President George Washington to establish the authority of the federal government.
- working substance — a substance, usually a fluid, that undergoes changes in pressure, temperature, volume, or form as part of a process for accomplishing work.
- yorkshire pudding — a pudding made of an unsweetened batter of flour, salt, eggs, and milk, baked under meat as it roasts to catch the drippings or baked separately with a small amount of meat drippings.