20-letter words containing o, s, i

omega-minus particle — a baryon with strangeness −3, isotopic spin 0, and negative charge; predicted from the mathematics of the Eightfold Way and subsequently discovered. Symbol: Ω −.
on o's best behavior — If someone is on their best behavior, they are trying very hard to behave well.
on that/this account — You can use on that account or on this account when you want to say that something happens for the reason you have just mentioned.
on the shady side of — beyond (a given age); older than
on the sunny side of — younger than (a specified age)
on tiptoe/on tiptoes — If you do something on tiptoe or on tiptoes, you do it standing or walking on the front part of your foot, without putting your heels on the ground.
one's heart's desire — If you say that someone or something is your heart's desire, you mean that you want that person or thing very much.
one's misspent youth — the period when one is young and spend's one's time doing foolish, bad, or frivolous things
one's spiritual home — Your spiritual home is the place where you feel that you belong, usually because your ideas or attitudes are the same as those of the people who live there.
operating conditions — Operating conditions are a set of conditions for operating a particular system or process.
operation barbarossa — the codename for Hitler's invasion (1941) of Russia
operational calculus — a method for solving a differential equation by treating differential operators as ordinary algebraic quantities, thus obtaining a simpler problem.
operational database — (database) A database containing up-to-date, modifiable data, in contrast to a decision support database.
operational strategy — a plan or set of plans for successfully running a business, etc
order of the thistle — an ancient Scottish order of knighthood revived by James VII of Scotland in 1687. It consists of the sovereign, 16 knights brethren, and extra members created by statute. It is the equivalent of the Order of the Garter, and is usually conferred on Scots
organization expense — the costs associated with organizing a business entity and bringing it into existence
orthognathic surgery — the surgical correction of deformities or malpositions of the jaw.
orthopaedic mattress — a specially firm mattress designed to help correct or ameliorate the discomfort of disorders of the spine and joints
orthophosphoric acid — a colorless, crystalline solid, H 3 PO 4 , the tribasic acid of pentavalent phosphorus: used chiefly in fertilizers, as a source of phosphorus salts, and in soft drinks as an acidulant and flavoring agent.
oscillating universe — a variant model of the closed universe in which the universe undergoes cycles of expansion and contraction.
ostensive definition — the definition of a term by pointing to one or more examples to which the term can be applied.
outside (of) the box — in a fresh, inventive, unconventional way
overenthusiastically — With excessive enthusiasm.
owner-occupied house — a house that is owned by the person who lives in it
paper qualifications — qualifications gained through official examinations, etc, rather than through experience
pappus of alexandria — 3rd century bc, Greek mathematician, whose eight-volume Synagoge is a valuable source of information about Greek mathematics
parametric equations — one of two or more equations expressing the location of a point on a curve or surface by determining each coordinate separately.
parataxic distortion — a distortion in perception, especially of interpersonal relationships, based on a tendency to perceive others in accordance with a pattern determined by previous experiences.
parkinson's syndrome — a complex of symptoms indistinguishable from Parkinson's disease, commonly affecting boxers or sometimes occurring as a result of substance abuse or an encephalitic infection.
particulars of claim — (in England) the first reading made by the claimant in a county court action, showing the facts upon which he or she relies in support of a claim and the relief asked for
partitioned data set — (file format) (PDS) A data set on an IBM mainframe that contains members, each of which acts like a separate data set. Partitioned data sets are more space-efficient than individual data sets, because they can put more than one data set on a track. They are also used to hold libraries, with one function per member. The syntax for a member is NAME.OF.PDS(MEMBER) although some systems (such as Phoenix) could use NAME.OF.PDS:MEMBER Original PDSes were of fixed size, and needed frequent compression to recover space after deleting or changing members. Newer PDS/E Extended PDSes do not have this problem.
pass in one's marble — to die
pass the time of day — to exchange casual greetings (with an acquaintance)
patagonian toothfish — a large food fish, Dissostichus eleginoides, found in the cold deep waters of the southern Atlantic and Indian oceans
peaceful coexistence — competition without war, or a policy of peace between nations of widely differing political systems and ideologies, especially between Communist and non-Communist nations: peaceful coexistence between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
peculiar institution — black slavery in the southern U.S. before the Civil War.
pentobarbital sodium — a barbiturate drug used in medicine as a sedative and hypnotic. Formula: C11H17N2O3Na
pentose nucleic acid — a nucleic acid containing a pentose.
periarteritis nodosa — polyarteritis.
permonosulfuric acid — persulfuric acid (def 1).
peroxysulphuric acid — a white hygroscopic crystalline unstable oxidizing acid. Formula: H2SO5
personal cleanliness — physical cleanliness; the cleanliness of a person's body and habits
personality disorder — any of a group of mental disorders characterized by deeply ingrained maladaptive patterns of behavior and personality style, which are usually recognizable as early as adolescence and are often lifelong in duration.
pessimising compiler — /pes'*-mi:z"ing k*m-pi:l"r/ (Antonym of "optimising compiler") A compiler that produces object code that is worse than the straightforward or obvious hand translation. The implication is that the compiler is actually trying to optimise the program, but through excessive cleverness is doing the opposite. A few pessimizing compilers have been written on purpose, however, as pranks or burlesques.
pest control officer — a person who gets rid of pests such as rats and mice
philoprogenitiveness — producing offspring, especially abundantly; prolific.
phosphoric anhydride — phosphorus pentoxide.
phosphorus pentoxide — a white, deliquescent, crystalline powder, P 2 O 5 , that, depending upon the amount of water it absorbs, forms orthophosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid, or pyrophosphoric acid, produced by the burning of phosphorus in dry air: used in the preparation of phosphoric acids, as a drying and dehydrating agent, and in organic synthesis.
photogelatin process — collotype (def 1).
photophosphorylation — phosphorylation that utilizes light as a source of energy, as in the formation of ATP from ADP and phosphorus during photosynthesis.

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