16-letter words containing p, o, t, a

terms of payment — The terms of payment of a sale state how and when an invoice is to be paid.
thalamencephalon — the diencephalon.
the anthropocene — a proposed term for the present geological epoch (from the time of the Industrial Revolution onwards), during which humanity has begun to have a significant impact on the environment
the best part of — most of
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 great powers — the states or nations of the world with the most economic, political and military strength
the heavens open — If the heavens open, it suddenly starts raining very heavily.
the long paddock — a stockroute or roadside area offering feed to sheep and cattle in dry times
the moving party — a person who applies to a court or judge with the aim of obtaining a ruling in their favour
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
thermoacidophile — any organism, especially a type of archaebacterium, that thrives in strongly acidic environments at high temperatures.
thermoplasticity — soft and pliable when heated, as some plastics, without any change of the inherent properties.
three-point play — a play in which a player sinks the free throw that was awarded when the player was fouled while scoring a basket.
thrombocytopenia — an abnormal decrease in the number of blood platelets.
throw for a loop — a portion of a cord, ribbon, etc., folded or doubled upon itself so as to leave an opening between the parts.
tightrope walker — performer who walks on high wire
to change places — If you change places with another person, you start being in their situation or role, and they start being in yours.
to coin a phrase — You say 'to coin a phrase' to show that you realize you are making a pun or using a cliché.
to compare notes — If you compare notes with someone on a particular subject, you talk to them and find out whether their opinion, information, or experience is the same as yours.
to get bad press — If someone or something gets bad press, they are criticized, especially in the newspapers, on television, or on radio. If they get good press, they are praised.
to keep a secret — If you say that someone can keep a secret, you mean that they can be trusted not to tell other people a secret that you have told them.
to pass judgment — If you pass judgment on someone or something, you give your opinion about it, especially if you are making a criticism.
to pass the buck — If you pass the buck, you refuse to accept responsibility for something, and say that someone else is responsible.
to pass the time — If you do something to pass the time you do it because you have some time available and not because you really want to do it.
to pay dividends — If something pays dividends, it brings advantages at a later date.
to play for time — If you play for time, you try to make something happen more slowly, because you do not want it to happen or because you need time to think about what to do if it happens.
to play the fool — If you play the fool or act the fool, you behave in a playful, childish, and foolish way, usually in order to make other people laugh.
to rest in peace — If you express the wish that a dead person may rest in peace, you are showing respect and sympathy for him or her. 'Rest in peace' or 'RIP' is also sometimes written on gravestones.
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.
to spend a penny — If someone says that they are going to spend a penny, they mean that they are going to go to the toilet.
top-of-the-range — de luxe, expensive
topical-sentence — a sentence that expresses the essential idea of a paragraph or larger section, usually appearing at the beginning.
topsail schooner — a sailing vessel fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts with square sails above the foresail, and often with a square sail before the foresail.
transfer company — a company that transports people or luggage for a relatively short distance, as between terminals of two railroad lines.
transition point — Physics. a temperature at which a substance undergoes some abrupt change in its properties, as when it passes from the normal to the superconducting state.
transpeptidation — the process of transferring an amino acid or group of amino acids from one compound to another.
transport number — that fraction of the total electric current that anions and cations carry in passing through an electrolytic solution.
transport police — the national police force for railways in Britain, which protects rail operators, staff and passengers
trap-door spider — any of several burrowing spiders, of the family Ctenizidae, that construct a tubular nest with a hinged lid.
trapezoidal rule — a numerical method for evaluating the area between a curve and an axis by approximating the area with the areas of trapezoids.
trial separation — an experimental period of living apart
trick photograph — a photograph that creates an illusion
tridarn cupboard — a Welsh cupboard of the late 17th and 18th centuries, with an open, canopied upper section for display.
triple-expansion — noting a power source, especially a steam engine, using the same fluid at three successive stages of expansion to do work in three or more cylinders.
tropic of cancer — Geography. either of two corresponding parallels of latitude on the terrestrial globe, one (tropic of Cancer) about 23½° N, and the other (tropic of Capricorn) about 23½° S of the equator, being the boundaries of the Torrid Zone. the tropics, the regions lying between and near these parallels of latitude; the Torrid Zone and neighboring regions.
tropical cyclone — a cyclone that originates over a tropical ocean area and can develop into the destructive storm known in the U.S. as a hurricane, in the western Pacific region as a typhoon, and elsewhere by other names. Compare extratropical cyclone, hurricane (def 1), willy-willy.
trucking company — a company that transports goods by lorry
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

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