16-letter words containing o, t, a, v
- service contract — law: between employer and employee
- service elevator — an elevator for the use of servants and delivery people and for carrying large items.
- severance motion — an application made to a judge or court for the division into separate parts of a joint estate, contract, etc
- sexual deviation — a type of mental disorder characterized by a preference for or obsession with unusual sexual practices, as pedophilia, sadomasochism, or exhibitionism.
- shortfin corvina — See under corvina.
- social evolution — the gradual development of society and social forms, institutions, etc., usually through a series of peaceful stages. Compare revolution (def 2).
- south vietnamese — of or relating to the former South Vietnam (now part of Vietnam) or its inhabitants
- sparking voltage — the minimum voltage required to produce a spark across a given spark gap.
- standing ovation — rising to applaud
- steam locomotive — a locomotive moved by steam power generated in its own boiler: still in commercial use in nations that have not yet converted entirely to diesel and electric locomotives.
- take one's leave — to go away; depart
- tarragon vinegar — a white vinegar flavoured with the herb tarragon, used in cooking, esp in salad dressings
- texas revolution — a revolutionary movement, 1832–36, in which U.S. settlers asserted their independence from Mexico and established the republic of Texas.
- the devil to pay — Theology. (sometimes initial capital letter) the supreme spirit of evil; Satan. a subordinate evil spirit at enmity with God, and having power to afflict humans both with bodily disease and with spiritual corruption.
- the heavens open — If the heavens open, it suddenly starts raining very heavily.
- the moving party — a person who applies to a court or judge with the aim of obtaining a ruling in their favour
- the noes have it — there is a majority of votes in the negative
- the unobservable — something that cannot be observed
- the vienna union — an international conference of socialists who came together in Vienna in 1921 in an attempt to reconstruct a united International by offering an alternative to the right-wing remnant of the Second International and to the Comintern: merged into the Labour and Socialist International in 1923
- thermionic valve — vacuum tube.
- to move a muscle — If you say that someone did not move a muscle, you mean that they stayed absolutely still.
- to overabound in — to have or contain too large a quantity or number of something
- to pay dividends — If something pays dividends, it brings advantages at a later date.
- to rant and rave — If you say that someone rants and raves, you mean that they talk loudly and angrily in an uncontrolled way.
- to speak volumes — If something such as an action speaks volumes about a person or thing, it gives you a lot of information about them.
- torvill and dean — two British ice dancers, Jayne Torvill, born 1957, and Christopher Dean, born 1958. They won the world championships in 1981–84, the European championships in 1981–82, 1984, and 1994, and the gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games
- transverse colon — the middle portion of the colon, lying across the upper abdominal cavity between the ascending colon on the right and the descending colon on the left.
- travelling clock — a small clock taken by someone who is travelling
- treaty of verdun — an agreement reached in 843 ad by three grandsons of Charlemagne, dividing his empire into an E kingdom (later Germany), a W kingdom (later France), and a middle kingdom (containing what became the Low Countries, Lorraine, Burgundy, and N Italy)
- unconventionally — not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist; an unconventional use of material.
- unconversational — of, relating to, or characteristic of conversation: a conversational tone of voice.
- universalization — to make universal.
- valence electron — an electron of an atom, located in the outermost shell (valence shell) of the atom, that can be transferred to or shared with another atom.
- valency electron — an electron in the outer shell of an atom, responsible for forming chemical bonds
- vapor combustion — Vapor combustion is a closed burn system used for treating liquid waste which contains volatile organic compounds.
- vasoconstriction — constriction of the blood vessels, as by the action of a nerve.
- vasoconstrictive — causing vasoconstriction.
- vectorcardiogram — the graphic record produced by vectorcardiography.
- vegetable marrow — any of various summer squashes, as the cocozelle and zucchini.
- vegetable oyster — salsify.
- vegetable sponge — loofah (def 2).
- vegetable tallow — any of several tallowlike substances of vegetable origin, used in making candles, soap, etc., and as lubricants.
- velcro fastening — a fastening made of Velcro
- ventriculography — radiography of the ventricles of the heart after injection of a contrast medium
- vertebral column — spinal column.
- vest-pocket park — pocket park.
- victorian values — qualities considered to characterize the Victorian period, including enterprise and initiative and the importance of the family
- virginia tobacco — a type of flue-cured tobacco grown originally in Virginia
- vitruvian scroll — a scroll forming a stylized wave pattern.
- vocabulary entry — (in dictionaries) a word, phrase, abbreviation, symbol, affix, name, etc., listed with its definition or explanation in alphabetical order or listed for identification after the word from which it is derived or to which it is related.