16-letter words containing o, n, w, a

not worth a shit — useless, valueless, etc.
observation ward — a ward in a hospital where patients are monitored
of it own accord — If something happens of its own accord, it seems to happen by itself, without anyone making it happen.
offensive weapon — an instrument designed to be used in attack, or an object which may be used in attack
okefenokee swamp — a large wooded swamp area in SE Georgia.
on a war footing — If a country or armed force is on a war footing, it is ready to fight a war.
on a world scale — in a way that involves the whole world
on the bandwagon — on the popular or apparently winning side, as in an election
on the downgrade — waning in importance, popularity, health, etc
one with another — on average
one-way function — (cryptography, mathematics) A function which is easy to compute but whose inverse is very difficult to compute. Such functions have important applications in cryptography, specifically in public-key cryptography. See also: trapdoor function.
portmanteau word — a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves.
proposal writing — Extension of Fortran for proposal writing.
purchasing power — Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
put a foot wrong — to make a mistake
rainbow lorikeet — a small Australasian parrot, Trichoglossus haematodus, with brightly-coloured plumage
rainbow seaperch — an embiotocid fish, Hypsurus caryi, living off the Pacific coast of North America, having red, orange, and blue stripes on the body.
raise an eyebrow — If something causes you to raise an eyebrow or to raise your eyebrows, it causes you to feel surprised or disapproving.
redbank whiteoak — a city in S Tennessee.
regional network — mid-level network
rotary lawnmower — a lawn mower with a single blade attached in the middle that rotates as the mower is moved
savannah sparrow — a North American sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis, having brown and white plumage with a yellow stripe over each eye.
sawn-off shotgun — A sawn-off shotgun is a shotgun on which the barrel has been cut short. Guns like this are often used by criminals because they can be easily hidden.
seaside knotweed — See under knotweed.
second world war — World War II.
secondary growth — an increase in the thickness of the shoots and roots of a vascular plant as a result of the formation of new cells in the cambium.
shakedown cruise — extortion, as by blackmail or threats of violence.
shared ownership — (in Britain) a form of house purchase whereby the purchaser buys a proportion of the dwelling, usually from a local authority or housing association, and rents the rest
shorthand writer — a person trained to write in shorthand
sir isaac newton — Sir Isaac, 1642–1727, English philosopher and mathematician: formulator of the law of gravitation.
social darwinism — a 19th-century theory, inspired by Darwinism, by which the social order is accounted as the product of natural selection of those persons best suited to existing living conditions and in accord with which a position of laissez-faire is advocated.
soft brown sugar — a type of moist sugar made by coating white sugar with dark molasses
spring snowflake — a European amaryllidaceous plant, Leucojum vernum, with white nodding bell-shaped flowers
strawberry blond — reddish blond.
swamp buttonwood — the buttonbush.
swedenborgianism — of or relating to Emanuel Swedenborg, his religious doctrines, or the body of followers adhering to these doctrines and constituting the Church of the New Jerusalem, or New Church.
sweet almond oil — almond oil (def 1).
swiss tournament — (in certain games and sports) a tournament system in which players are paired in each round according to the scores they then have, playing a new opponent each time. More players can take part than in an all-play-all tournament of the same duration
the commonwealth — the government in England under the Cromwells and Parliament from 1649 to 1660
the here and now — the present time
the little woman — one's wife
throw oneself at — to propel or cast in any way, especially to project or propel from the hand by a sudden forward motion or straightening of the arm and wrist: to throw a ball.
to draw the line — If you draw the line at a particular activity, you refuse to do it, because you disapprove of it or because it is more extreme than what you normally do.
to go a long way — If you say that something goes a long way towards doing a particular thing, you mean that it is an important factor in achieving that thing.
to waste no time — If you waste no time in doing something, you take the opportunity to do it immediately or quickly.
to wine and dine — If you wine and dine, or if someone wines and dines you, you go out, for example to expensive restaurants, and spend a lot of money.
tobacco hornworm — the larva of a hawk moth, Manduca sexta, having a hornlike structure at its posterior end and feeding on the leaves of tobacco and other plants of the nightshade family.
traded endowment — A traded endowment is a traditional with-profits endowment policy that has been sold to a new owner part way through its term.
twin-carburettor — (of an engine) having two carburettors
unknown quantity — mathematics: amount not known

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