22-letter words containing o, b, s, t

satellite broadcasting — the transmission of television or radio programmes from an artificial satellite at a power suitable for direct reception in the home
satisfiability problem — A problem used as an example in complexity theory. It can be stated thus: Given a Boolean expression E, decide if there is some assignment to the variables in E such that E is true. A Boolean expression is composed of Boolean variables, (logical) negation (NOT), (logical) conjunction (AND) and parentheses for grouping. The satisfiability problem was the first problem to be proved to be NP-complete (by Cook).
sb can whistle for sth — If you say that someone can whistle for a particular thing, you mean that you are not willing or able to give it to them.
scissors-and-paste job — if you describe a piece of work as a scissors and paste job, you mean that it has been mechanically compiled, as if by simply cutting and pasting different parts to make a new whole
secretary to the board — the secretary to the board of directors; company secretary
sell sb down the river — If someone sells you down the river, they betray you for some personal profit or advantage.
shaken but not stirred — If you say that someone has been shaken but not stirred by an experience, you mean that they have been slightly disturbed or emotionally affected by it, but not deeply enough to change their behaviour or way of thinking.
simultaneous broadcast — a programme, etc, broadcast simultaneously on radio and television
sir william blackstone — Sir William, 1723–80, English jurist and writer on law.
sixteen bit organisers — (communications) (SIBO) Psion's family of PDAs running EPOC, including the MC200, MC400, Series 3 (1991-1998), Series 3a, Series 3c, Series 3mx, Siena, Workabout and Workabout mx.
small business edition — Microsoft Office Small Business Edition
social security number — A Social Security number is a nine digit number that is given to U.S. citizens and to people living in the U.S. You need it to get a job, collect Social Security benefits and receive some government services.
softening of the brain — a softening of the cerebrum, caused by impairment of the blood supply; encephalomalacia.
south african republic — former name of Transvaal.
southern redbelly dace — any of the small, brightly colored North American freshwater cyprinids, especially Phoxinus oreas (northern redbelly dace) and P. erythrogaster (southern redbelly dace)
spontaneous combustion — the ignition of a substance or body from the rapid oxidation of its own constituents without heat from any external source.
start the ball rolling — to open or initiate (an action, discussion, movement, etc)
subjective probability — a measure or estimate of the degree of confidence one may have in the occurrence of an event, defined by subjective criteria
subornation of perjury — the offense of bribing or otherwise persuading another to commit perjury.
swings and roundabouts — If you say that a situation is swings and roundabouts, you mean that there are as many gains as there are losses.
take a fancy to sb/sth — If you take a fancy to someone or something, you start liking them, usually for no understandable reason.
take one's breath away — the air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.
tear sb limb from limb — If someone threatens to tear you limb from limb, they mean that they are extremely angry with you, and may use violence against you.
temporal lobe epilepsy — a type of seizure disorder produced by abnormal electric discharges in the temporal lobe of the brain, characterized by the occurrence of any of a variety of auras followed by a brief loss of consciousness with accompanying repetitive, automatic movements.
temporal-lobe epilepsy — a type of seizure disorder produced by abnormal electric discharges in the temporal lobe of the brain, characterized by the occurrence of any of a variety of auras followed by a brief loss of consciousness with accompanying repetitive, automatic movements.
the brothers karamazov — a novel (1880) by Dostoevsky.
the muslim brotherhood — a transnational Islamic religious and political organization dedicated to the establishment of a nation based on Islamic principles, founded in Egypt in 1928
the opposition benches — the area of a parliament where members of the party opposed to the ruling party or government sit
the sb/sth before last — You use expressions such as the night before last, the election before last and the leader before last to refer to the period of time, event, or person that came immediately before the most recent one in a series.
to be a one-way street — if you describe an agreement or a relationship as a one-way street, you mean that only one of the sides in the agreement or relationship is offering something or is benefitting from it
to be full to bursting — to be very full
to be knocked sideways — If you are knocked sideways by something, it makes you feel very surprised, confused, or upset.
to be mixed up with sb — if you are mixed up with someone, usually someone that other people disapprove of, you are emotionally or sexually involved with them
to be on the safe side — If you say you are doing something to be on the safe side, you mean that you are doing it in case something undesirable happens, even though this may be unnecessary.
to be sb's second home — to be a place where somebody feels at home and spends a lot of time
to beat about the bush — If you tell someone not to beat about the bush, you mean that you want them to tell you something immediately and quickly, rather than in a complicated, indirect way.
to bend over backwards — If you say that someone is bending over backwards to be helpful or kind, you are emphasizing that they are trying very hard to be helpful or kind.
to cast your mind back — If you cast your mind back to a time in the past, you think about what happened then.
to fall by the wayside — If a person or plan falls by the wayside, they fail or stop before they complete what they set out to do.
to fall to bits/pieces — To fall to pieces, or in British English to fall to bits, means the same as to fall apart.
to twiddle your thumbs — If you say that someone is twiddling their thumbs, you mean that they do not have anything to do and are waiting for something to happen.
torpedo-boat destroyer — a vessel somewhat larger than the ordinary torpedo boat, designed for destroying torpedo boats or as a more powerful form of torpedo boat.
transition probability — the probability of going from a given state to the next state in a Markov process.
underground combustion — Underground combustion is the process of heating oil to allow it to flow more easily and make it easier to recover.
urban district council — a council of an urban district that, in conjunction with a county council, has responsibilities for local government issues
volume of distribution — A volume of distribution is the hypothetical volume of body fluid that would be required to dissolve the amount of drug needed to achieve the same concentration in the blood.
was not born yesterday — is not gullible or foolish
what sb/sth looks like — If you ask what someone or something looks like, you are asking for a description of them.
william's bon chrétien — a variety of pear that has large yellow juicy sweet fruit
woman police constable — a policewoman of the lowest rank

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