27-letter words containing o, v, e, r
- non return to zero inverted — (storage) (NRZI) A recording method used for 9-track magnetic tapes (200 and 800 BPI) where a zero is represented by a change in the signal and a one by no change. NRZI is also used extensively in SDLC communications. VTAM has a parameter NRZI=YES|NO. Compare Phase Encoded, GCR.
- oscillating universe theory — the theory that the universe is oscillating between periods of expansion and collapse
- pelvic inflammatory disease — an inflammation of the female pelvic organs, most commonly the fallopian tubes, usually as a result of bacterial infection. Abbreviation: PID.
- photorefractive keratectomy — laser eye surgery that involves scraping away the protective cells of the cornea before reshaping its surface to improve vision
- plain old telephone service — (communications) (POTS) The traditional voice service provided by phone companies, especially when opposed to data services. Note that the acronym POTS is sometimes expanded as "Plain Old Telephone System" in which sense it is synonymous to Public Switched Telephone Network but used somewhat derogatively.
- post-viral fatigue syndrome — Post-viral fatigue syndrome is a long-lasting illness that is thought to be caused by a virus. Its symptoms include feeling tired all the time and muscle pain.
- presumption of survivorship — a presumption that one of two or more related persons was the last to die in a common disaster, made so that the estates may be settled and the final heirs determined.
- provisional driving licence — a temporary driving licence issued to learner drivers
- public broadcasting service — a network of independent, noncommercial television stations that operate with public and government funding instead of with revenues from advertising. Abbreviation: PBS.
- public service broadcasting — publicly-funded broadcasting
- respiratory syncytial virus — a myxovirus causing infections of the nose and throat, esp in young children. It is thought to be involved in some cot deaths
- seasonal affective disorder — recurrent winter depression characterized by oversleeping, overeating, and irritability, and relieved by the arrival of spring or by light therapy. Abbreviation: SAD.
- sell your soul to the devil — If you say that someone has sold their soul to the devil, you mean that you disapprove of them because they have done something that you think is not right in order to get what they want.
- serbs, croats, and slovenes — former name (1918–29) of Yugoslavia.
- storage management services — (storage) (SMS) Software that enables network administrators to route backup data from various devices on a network to another device such as a server or a magnetic tape backup unit. This is done either to make use of a high-capacity storage system such as a tape juke-box or for disaster protection.
- the odds are in sb's favour — If you say that the odds are in someone's favour, you mean that they are likely to succeed in what they are doing.
- to fall over yourself to do — If you say that people are falling over themselves to do something, you mean that they are very enthusiastic about doing it, and often that you disapprove of this.
- to give someone a free hand — If someone gives you a free hand, they give you the freedom to use your own judgment and to do exactly as you wish.
- to give something houseroom — If you say that you wouldn't give something houseroom, you are emphasizing that you do not want it or do not like it at all.
- to give your word of honour — to solemnly promise
- to invade someone's privacy — If someone or something invades your privacy, they interfere in your life without your permission.
- to send someone to coventry — If people send you to Coventry, they avoid speaking to you whenever they meet you, as a way of punishing you for something that you have done.
- tonguing-and-grooving plane — a plane for cutting the edges of boards into tongues and grooves.
- united service organization — a private, non-profit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the US military, with programmes in 140 centres worldwide
- universal computer protocol — (communications, protocol) An earlier form of External Machine Interface (EMI).
- universal naming convention — (networking) (UNC) The type of file system path used in Microsoft Windows networking to completely specify a directory on a file server. The basic format is: \\servername\sharename where "servername" is the hostname or IP address of a network file server, and "sharename" is the name of a shared directory on the server. This is related to the conventional MS-DOS "C:\windows" style of directory name. E.g. \\server1\dave might be set up to point to C:\users\homedirs\dave on a server called "server1". It is possible to execute a program using this convention without having to specifically link a drive, by running: \\server\share\directory\program.exe The undocumented DOS command, TRUENAME can be used to find out the UNC name of a file or directory on a network drive. Even Microsoft don't know whether UNC stands for "Universal Naming Convention" or "Uniform Naming Convention", both appear on their website, sometimes withing the same document, but with a preference for "Universal".
- university grants committee — an advisory committee of the British government, which advised on the distribution of grant funding amongst British universities. It was in existence from 1919 until 1989. Its functions have now largely been taken over by the higher education funding councils (HEFCE (England), SHEFC (Scotland), HEFCW (Wales), and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland)
- virtual machine environment — (operating system) (VME) ICL's mainframe operating system.