17-letter words containing o, s, b
- suspension bridge — a bridge having a deck suspended from cables anchored at their extremities and usually raised on towers.
- symbolic assembly — (language) An early system on the IBM 705.
- symbolic language — a specialized language dependent upon the use of symbols for communication and created for the purpose of achieving greater exactitude, as in symbolic logic or mathematics.
- synchronous orbit — an orbit in which the orbital period of a satellite is identical to the spin period of the central body
- synovial membrane — anatomy: connective tissue
- synthetic biology — the application of computer science techniques to create artificial biological systems
- take some beating — to be difficult to improve upon
- take sth by storm — If someone or something takes a place by storm, they are extremely successful.
- take to one's bed — to remain in bed, esp because of illness
- take years off sb — If you say that something such as an experience or a way of dressing has taken years off someone, you mean that it has made them look or feel much younger.
- teething problems — If a project or new product has teething problems, it has problems in its early stages or when it first becomes available.
- teething troubles — Teething troubles are the same as teething problems.
- telephone numbers — extremely large numbers, esp in reference to salaries or prices
- terrestrial globe — the planet Earth (usually preceded by the).
- terrorist bombing — the bombing of a place carried out in order to achieve some goal
- the bag of tricks — every device; everything
- the barbary coast — a historic name for the Mediterranean coast of North Africa: a centre of piracy against European shipping from the 16th to the 19th centuries
- the carboniferous — the Carboniferous period or rock system
- 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 tabloid press — (considered as a whole) newspapers with pages about 30 cm (12 inches) by 40 cm (16 inches), usually characterized by an emphasis on photographs and a concise and often sensational style
- the whole shebang — The whole shebang is the whole situation or business that you are describing.
- theory of numbers — number theory.
- throat sweetbread — sweetbread (def 2).
- to best advantage — If something is shown to good advantage or to best advantage, it is shown in a way that reveals its best features.
- to cook the books — If you say that someone has cooked the books, you mean that they have changed figures or a written record in order to deceive people.
- to get to know sb — If you get to know someone, you find out what they are like by spending time with them.
- to keep the books — to keep written records of the finances of a business or other enterprise
- 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 read sb's mind — If you can read someone's mind, you know what they are thinking without them saying anything.
- toothbrush holder — a container or rack in a bathroom where toothbrushes are kept when not in use
- transferable vote — a vote that is transferred to a second candidate indicated by the voter if the first is eliminated from the ballot
- transonic barrier — sound barrier.
- triboluminescence — luminescence produced by friction, usually within a crystalline substance.
- triskaidekaphobia — fear or a phobia concerning the number 13.
- trobriand islands — a group of coral islands in the Solomon Sea, north of the E part of New Guinea: part of Papua New Guinea. Area: about 440 sq km (170 sq miles)
- troilus butterfly — spicebush swallowtail.
- turbinado (sugar) — a partially refined, granulated, pale-brown sugar obtained by washing raw sugar in a centrifuge until most of the molasses is removed
- turbosupercharger — (formerly) a turbocharger.
- uncle tom's cabin — an antislavery novel (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
- uncomfortableness — causing discomfort or distress; painful; irritating.
- unreconstructible — not capable of being reconstructed.
- visible radiation — electromagnetic radiation that causes the sensation of sight; light. It has wavelengths between about 380 and 780 nanometres
- wang laboratories — (body) Computer manufacturer, known for their office automation products and the Wang PC. Quarterly sales $208M, profits $3M (Aug 1994).
- wardrobe mistress — a woman in charge of keeping theatrical costumes cleaned, pressed, and in wearable condition.
- welshman's button — an angler's name for a species of caddis fly, Sericostoma personatum
- 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.
- wheatstone bridge — a circuit for measuring an unknown resistance by comparing it with known resistances.
- 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.
- white blood cells — any of various nearly colorless cells of the immune system that circulate mainly in the blood and lymph and participate in reactions to invading microorganisms or foreign particles, comprising the B cells, T cells, macrophages, monocytes, and granulocytes.
- working substance — a substance, usually a fluid, that undergoes changes in pressure, temperature, volume, or form as part of a process for accomplishing work.