12-letter words containing p, o, t, s
- shock troops — soldiers trained to attack
- shoot-'em-up — a motion-picture or television program that emphasizes gunplay, action, and often violence.
- shop steward — commerce: union rep
- shore patrol — (often initial capital letters) members of an organization in the U.S. Navy having police duties similar to those performed by military police. Abbreviation: SP.
- short splice — a splice used when an increased thickness of the united rope is not objectionable, made by unlaying the rope ends a certain distance, uniting them so that their strands overlap, then tucking each alternately over and under others several times.
- short-spoken — speaking in a short, brief, or curt manner.
- show stopper — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- show-stopper — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- showstopping — Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.
- shut up shop — When a shop, office, or firm shuts up shop, it stops doing business and closes, either at the end of the day or permanently.
- sign-posting — a post bearing a sign that gives information or guidance.
- silver point — the melting point of silver, equal to 960.8°C, used as a fixed point on the international temperature scale.
- sinanthropus — the genus to which Peking man was formerly assigned.
- siphonostele — a hollow tube of vascular tissue enclosing a pith and embedded in ground tissue.
- skeleton map — a map showing only basic details of a land, place, etc
- slash pocket — a pocket set into a garment, especially below the waistline, to which easy access is provided by an exterior, vertical or diagonal slit.
- sleep it off — to rid oneself of the effects of some excess, overindulgence, etc., specif. of the aftereffects of drinking much alcoholic liquor, by sleeping
- slip through — be undetected
- slipper foot — an elongated pad foot.
- slopping out — In prisons where prisoners have to use buckets as toilets, slopping out is the practice in which they empty the buckets.
- slumpflation — a situation in which economic depression is combined with increasing inflation
- snapshotting — an informal photograph, especially one taken quickly by a handheld camera.
- soccer pitch — the field of play used in soccer
- somatopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the upper layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the overlying ectoderm, functioning in the formation of the body wall and amnion.
- somatotropin — a hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, that stimulates growth in humans.
- somers point — a town in SE New Jersey.
- sophisticate — a sophisticated person.
- soup kitchen — a place where food, usually soup, is served at little or no charge to the needy.
- soup to nuts — (of a meal) complete or impressive in number of courses.
- soup-to-nuts — (of a meal) complete or impressive in number of courses.
- south platte — a river flowing NE from central Colorado to the Platte River in W Nebraska. 424 miles (683 km) long.
- spanish foot — a carved pyramidal foot having fluted, concave sides usually ending in a scroll at the bottom.
- sparcstation — (computer) A family of workstations from Sun Microsystems based on the SPARC architecture. Models include the SPARCStation 1, 1+, SLC, SPARCStation ELC, IPX, SPARCStation 5, SPARCStation 10 and SPARCStation 20.
- spatiography — the study of the characteristics of space beyond the atmosphere, including the mapping of the movements of celestial bodies and the recording of electrical, magnetic, and gravitational effects, especially those likely to affect missiles and spacecraft.
- spatter cone — a low, steep-sided volcanic cone built up of droplets or blobs of lava erupted from a fissure or vent.
- special sort — a character, such as an accented letter, that is not a usual member of any font
- speciational — relating to speciation
- spectatorial — a person who looks on or watches; onlooker; observer.
- spectrograph — a spectroscope for photographing or producing a representation of a spectrum.
- spectrometer — an optical device for measuring wavelengths, deviation of refracted rays, and angles between faces of a prism, especially an instrument (prism spectrometer) consisting of a slit through which light passes, a collimator, a prism that deviates the light, and a telescope through which the deviated light is viewed and examined.
- spectrometry — an optical device for measuring wavelengths, deviation of refracted rays, and angles between faces of a prism, especially an instrument (prism spectrometer) consisting of a slit through which light passes, a collimator, a prism that deviates the light, and a telescope through which the deviated light is viewed and examined.
- spectroscope — an optical device for producing and observing a spectrum of light or radiation from any source, consisting essentially of a slit through which the radiation passes, a collimating lens, and an Amici prism.
- spectroscopy — the science that deals with the use of the spectroscope and with spectrum analysis.
- speedboating — the act, practice, or sport of traveling in a speedboat.
- speleologist — the exploration and study of caves.
- spermatocele — a swelling of the testicle
- spermatocide — spermicide.
- spermatocyte — a male germ cell (primary spermatocyte) that gives rise by meiosis to a pair of haploid cells (secondary spermatocytes) that give rise in turn to spermatids.
- spermatozoid — a motile male gamete produced in an antheridium.
- spermatozoon — one of the minute, usually actively motile gametes in semen, which serve to fertilize the ovum; a mature male reproductive cell.