18-letter words containing n, o, r, d, a
- southern rhodesian — a former name (until 1964) of Zimbabwe (def 1).
- sow dragon's teeth — to take some action that is intended to prevent strife or trouble but that actually brings it about
- spread one's wings — to make full use of one's abilities
- st. andrew's cross — a low evergreen shrub, Ascyrum hypericoides, native to temperate and subtropical America, having flowers in clusters of three: often cultivated.
- stand one's ground — the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.
- stand-by generator — an electrical system which operates automatically in case the usual system malfunctions
- standard deviation — a measure of dispersion in a frequency distribution, equal to the square root of the mean of the squares of the deviations from the arithmetic mean of the distribution.
- standard of living — a grade or level of subsistence and comfort in everyday life enjoyed by a community, class, or individual: The well-educated generally have a high standard of living.
- standoff insulator — a type of insulator that supports an electrical conductor at a distance from other elements or surfaces.
- strathclyde region — a former local government region in W Scotland: formed in 1975 from Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Buteshire, Dunbartonshire, and parts of Argyllshire, Ayrshire, and Stirlingshire; replaced in 1996 by the council areas of Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and East Ayrshire
- subordinate clause — a clause that modifies the principal clause or some part of it or that serves a noun function in the principal clause, as when she arrived in the sentence I was there when she arrived or that she has arrived in the sentence I doubt that she has arrived.
- subsidiary company — a company whose controlling interest is owned by another company.
- summary proceeding — a mode of trial authorized by statute to be held before a judge without the usual full hearing.
- sun-dried tomatoes — tomatoes that have been dried or preserved by exposure to the sun
- telford and wrekin — a unitary authority in W Central England, in Shropshire. Pop: 160 300 (2003 est). Area: 289 sq km (112 sq miles)
- temporary hardness — hardness of water due to the presence of magnesium and calcium hydrogencarbonates, which can be precipitated as carbonates by boiling
- tender loving care — considerate and kindly care, as of someone who is ill, upset, etc
- tertiary education — education, following secondary education at a school, at a college or university
- the bird has flown — the person in question has fled or escaped
- the dark continent — a term for Africa when it was relatively unexplored
- the grand national — an annual steeplechase run at Aintree, Liverpool, since 1839
- the-dark-continent — Africa: so called, especially during the 19th century, because little was known about it.
- thioarsenious acid — any of a group of hypothetical acids, H3AsS3, HAsS2, and H4As2S5, known only in the forms of their salts
- three-cornered hat — a triangular shaped hat which was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries; its turned up brim formed a gutter for catching rain
- to a grinding halt — If you describe a bad situation as grinding, you mean it never gets better, changes, or ends.
- to be above ground — to be alive
- to be on the radar — to be noticed or important
- to speak your mind — If you speak your mind, you say firmly and honestly what you think about a situation, even if this may offend or upset people.
- to-ing and fro-ing — If you say that there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, you mean that the same actions or movements or the same arguments are being repeated many times.
- traditional option — an option that once purchased cannot be resold
- traditional policy — a life assurance policy in which the policyholder's premiums are paid into a general fund and his or her investment benefits are calculated according to actuarial formulae
- traditional weapon — a weapon having ceremonial tribal significance, such as an assegai or knobkerrie
- transcendental ego — (in Kantian epistemology) that part of the self that is the subject and never the object.
- transit theodolite — a theodolite having a telescope that can be transited.
- transporter bridge — a bridge for carrying passengers and vehicles by means of a platform suspended from a trolley.
- tristan und isolde — a music drama (composed, 1857–59; première, 1865) by Richard Wagner.
- trobriand islander — a native or inhabitant of the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea
- turn one's hand to — the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb.
- ultrasonic welding — the use of high-energy vibration of ultrasonic frequency to produce a weld between two components which are held in close contact
- ultrasound scanner — a device used to examine an internal bodily structure by the use of ultrasonic waves, esp for the diagnosis of abnormality in a fetus
- under (one's) seal — in a document authenticated by one's seal
- under lock and key — a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or the like in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled and withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a key, dial, etc.
- under one's breath — the air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.
- under the aegis of — guided or protected by
- under the jackboot — If a country or group of people is under the jackboot, they are suffering because the government is cruel and undemocratic.
- under-compensation — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
- under-depreciation — decrease in value due to wear and tear, decay, decline in price, etc.
- under-registration — the act of registering.
- urban homesteading — homesteading (def 2).
- vermiform appendix — a narrow, blind tube protruding from the cecum, having no known useful function, in humans being 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) long and situated in the lower right-hand part of the abdomen.