16-letter words containing p, e, s, w
- purchasing power — Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
- put someone wise — having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.
- put to the sword — to kill with a sword or swords
- rainbow seaperch — an embiotocid fish, Hypsurus caryi, living off the Pacific coast of North America, having red, orange, and blue stripes on the body.
- raspberry sawfly — a black sawfly, Monophadnoides geniculatus, the larvae of which feed on the leaves of the raspberry and blackberry.
- reprocessed wool — wool cloth respun and rewoven from the raveled fibers of unused cloth, such as the waste or clippings from a garment factory
- rochelle powders — (not in technical use) Seidlitz powders.
- seidlitz powders — a mild laxative consisting of tartaric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and Rochelle salt, which are dissolved separately, mixed, and drunk after effervescence.
- seward peninsula — a peninsula in W Alaska, on Bering Strait.
- shaft horsepower — the horsepower delivered to the driving shaft of an engine, as measured by a torsion meter. Abbreviation: shp, SHP.
- shared ownership — (in Britain) a form of house purchase whereby the purchaser buys a proportion of the dwelling, usually from a local authority or housing association, and rents the rest
- showbiz reporter — a journalist who writes about the entertainment industry
- showcase project — a project designed to attract attention and show off the abilities of the people involved in it
- showy crab apple — a large Japanese bush or tree, Malus floribunda, of the rose family, having red fruit and rose-colored flowers that fade to white.
- sleep-wake cycle — Physiology. the species-specific biological pattern of alternating sleep and wakefulness, in humans roughly 8 hours of nocturnal sleep and 16 hours of daytime activity.
- smokeless powder — any of various substitutes for ordinary gunpowder that give off little or no smoke, especially one composed wholly or mostly of guncotton.
- software package — bundle of files to execute computer program
- speed networking — the practice of trying to form business connections and contacts through meetings at which individuals are given the opportunity to have several conversations of limited duration with strangers
- spring snowflake — a European amaryllidaceous plant, Leucojum vernum, with white nodding bell-shaped flowers
- superb blue wren — a small Australian bird, Malurus cyaneus, the adult male of which has bright blue plumage
- superheavyweight — an amateur boxer weighing more than 91 kg
- swash plate pump — a collar or face plate on a shaft that is inclined at an oblique angle to the axis of rotation and imparts reciprocating motion to push rods parallel to the shaft axis
- sweet pepperbush — a shrub, Clethra alnifolia, of the eastern and southern coastal U.S., having numerous erect clusters of white or pinkish flowers.
- sweeten the pill — If someone does something to sweeten the pill or sugar the pill, they do it to make some unpleasant news or an unpleasant measure more acceptable.
- swine erysipelas — erysipelas (def 2).
- swiss stone pine — a five-needled pine tree, Pinus cembra,, found especially in mountain regions of Central Europe and yielding edible seeds
- the great powers — the states or nations of the world with the most economic, political and military strength
- the yellow press — (formerly) popular newspapers publishing sensational stories
- theatre workshop — a theatre company that is noted for the unconventional theatrical performances it puts on, especially with reference to a company based in the East End of London from 1953 to 1973 that was founded in 1945 by Joan Littlewood
- topless swimsuit — swimsuit which has no covering for the breasts
- turn upside down — invert
- two-party system — a political system consisting chiefly of two major parties, more or less equal in strength.
- two-pot screamer — a person easily influenced by alcohol
- two-tailed pasha — a distinctive vanessid butterfly of S Europe, Charaxes jasius, having mottled brown wings with a yellow-orange margin and frilled hind edges
- twofold purchase — a purchase using a double standing block and a double running block so as to give a mechanical advantage of four or five, neglecting friction, depending on whether the hauling is on the standing block or the running block.
- unpublished work — a literary work that has not been reproduced for sale or publicly distributed.
- up to the elbows — deeply engaged (in work, etc.)
- upside-down cake — a cake that is baked on a layer of fruit, then turned before serving so that the fruit is on top.
- washing-up water — water used for washing dishes
- watch one's step — a movement made by lifting the foot and setting it down again in a new position, accompanied by a shifting of the weight of the body in the direction of the new position, as in walking, running, or dancing.
- watch this space — Journalists write 'Watch this space' in order to indicate in an informal way that they will be giving more information about something in the future.
- water-base paint — latex paint.
- weatherstripping — A piece of weatherstrip material.
- welfare payments — government benefits
- well-compensated — to recompense for something: They gave him ten dollars to compensate him for his trouble.
- well-disciplined — having or exhibiting discipline; rigorous: paintings characterized by a disciplined technique.
- well-represented — having good or sufficient representation
- well-upholstered — (of a person) fat
- west springfield — a city in SW Massachusetts, near Springfield.
- whited sepulcher — an evil person who feigns goodness; hypocrite. Matt. 23:27.