20-letter words containing o, u, t, s, i

spontaneous-abortion — Also called voluntary abortion. the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.
square cross-section — If a kelly has a square cross-section, it has a surface area with four equal sides, when looked at as if has been sliced through.
square of opposition — a diagrammatic representation of the opposition of categorical propositions.
squatter sovereignty — (used contemptuously by its opponents) popular sovereignty (def 2).
squirrel's-foot fern — ball fern.
staff of aesculapius — a representation of a forked staff with an entwining serpent, used as a symbol of the medical profession and as the insignia of the American Medical Association and other medical organizations. Compare caduceus (def 2).
stick one's neck out — the part of the body of an animal or human being that connects the head and the trunk.
stockholders' equity — the net assets of a corporation as owned by stockholders in capital stock, capital surplus, and undistributed earnings.
straight-cut tobacco — tobacco that is cut in such a way that it will lie flat.
structural isomerism — Chemistry. the relation of two or more compounds, radicals, or ions that are composed of the same kinds and numbers of atoms but differ from each other in structural arrangement (structural isomerism) as CH 3 OCH 3 and CH 3 CH 2 OH, or in the arrangement of their atoms in space and therefore in one or more properties. Compare optical isomerism, stereoisomerism.
subjective intension — the associations that an expression has for an individual; the intension he believes it to have
subscription edition — an edition of one or more volumes for which a number of prospective purchasers place orders, usually in advance of publication.
subscription library — a commercial lending library
sufficient condition — a statement whose truth is sufficient to guarantee the truth of a given statement
summary jurisdiction — the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings
sunday-go-to-meeting — most presentable; best: Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes.
superior conjunction — the alignment of an inferior planet and the sun in which the planet is at the far side of the sun from the earth.
supersonic transport — a commercial jet airplane that can fly faster than the speed of sound. Abbreviation: SST.
surveillance society — a society where surveillance technology is widely used to monitor people's everyday activities
synchronous rotation — rotation of a satellite in which the period of rotation is equal to the period of orbit around its primary, leaving the same face always pointing toward the primary: The moon is in synchronous rotation about the earth.
systemic circulation — the circulatory system in general.
telephone subscriber — a person who subscribes to a telephone service
the founding fathers — any of the men who were members of the U.S. Constituional Convention of 1787
the gnomes of zurich — Swiss bankers and financiers
the methodist church — a group of people within the Christian religion who follow a system of faith and practice initiated by the English preacher John Wesley (1703–91) and his followers
the thousand guineas — an annual horse race, restricted to fillies, run at Newmarket since 1814
thioantimonious acid — any of a group of hypothetical acids, H3SbS3, HSbS2, and H4Sb2S5, known only in the forms of their salts in solution
this time, for sure! — (exclamation) Ritual affirmation frequently uttered during protracted debugging sessions involving numerous small obstacles (e.g. attempts to bring up a UUCP connection). For the proper effect, this must be uttered in a fruity imitation of Bullwinkle J. Moose. Also heard: "Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" The canonical response is, of course, "But that trick *never* works!" See hacker humour.
to burst into flames — If something bursts into flames or bursts into flame, it suddenly starts burning strongly.
to cross the rubicon — If you say that someone has crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they cannot change a decision or course of action.
to disturb the peace — If someone is accused of disturbing the peace, they are accused of behaving in a noisy and offensive way in public.
to get your bearings — to find out where one is or to find out what one should do next
to give sb their due — You can say 'to give him his due', or 'giving him his due' when you are admitting that there are some good things about someone, even though there are things that you do not like about them.
to give up the ghost — If someone gives up the ghost, they stop trying to do something because they no longer believe they can do it successfully. If a machine gives up the ghost, it stops working.
to line your pockets — If you say that someone is lining their own or someone else's pockets, you disapprove of them because they are making money dishonestly or unfairly.
to put it to sb that — If you put it to someone that something is true, you suggest that it is true, especially when you think that they will be unwilling to admit this.
to put sth to rights — to make something consistent with justice, correctness, or orderly arrangement
to spread your wings — If you spread your wings, you do something new and rather difficult or move to a new place, because you feel more confident in your abilities than you used to and you want to gain wider experience.
to use shock tactics — to attempt to influence people by shocking them
tobacco mosaic virus — a retrovirus causing mosaic disease in members of the nightshade family. Abbreviation: TMV.
tortoiseshell turtle — hawksbill turtle.
troilus and cressida — a satiric comedy (1598–1602?) by Shakespeare.
trois-rivieres-ouest — French name of West Three Rivers.
tropical disturbance — a very weak, or incipient, tropical cyclone.
try conclusions with — to engage in an argument or contest with
twiddle one's thumbs — to turn about or play with lightly or idly, especially with the fingers; twirl.
ultimate constituent — an element of a construction that cannot be further divided into grammatical constituents: the morphemes of an utterance are usually considered to be its ultimate constituents.
under the impression — If you are under the impression that something is the case, you believe that it is the case, usually when it is not actually the case.
under the microscope — If you say that something is under the microscope, you mean that it is being studied very closely, usually because it is believed that something is wrong with it.
unemployment figures — statistics relating to the number of people who are out of work

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