16-letter words containing p, o, u, t, e
- studio apartment — an apartment consisting of one main room, a kitchen or kitchenette, and a bathroom. Compare efficiency apartment.
- sub-postmistress — (in Britain) a woman who runs a sub-post office
- subsistence crop — a food plant which is grown by a farmer for consumption by himself and his family, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
- sulphur trioxide — a white corrosive substance existing in three crystalline forms of which the stable (alpha-) form is usually obtained as silky needles. It is produced by the oxidation of sulphur dioxide, and is used in the sulphonation of organic compounds. Formula: SO3
- summer complaint — an acute condition of diarrhea, occurring during the hot summer months chiefly in infants and children, caused by bacterial contamination of food and associated with poor hygiene.
- super-injunction — an instruction or order issued by a court imposing restrictions on reporting, including any reference to the restriction itself
- super-patriotism — a person who is patriotic to an extreme.
- superfecundation — the fertilization of two or more ova discharged at the same ovulation by successive acts of sexual intercourse.
- supernationalism — an extreme or fanatical loyalty or devotion to a nation.
- superunification — a theory intended to describe the electromagnetic force, the strong force, the weak force, and gravity as a single, unified force.
- suspense account — an account in which items are temporarily entered until their final disposition is determined.
- suspension point — one of a group of dots, usually three, used in written material to indicate the omission of a word or words
- take one's lumps — a piece or mass of solid matter without regular shape or of no particular shape: a lump of coal.
- tandem computers — (company) A US computer manufacturer. Quarterly sales $544M, profits $49M (Aug 1994).
- telephone number — digits dialled to reach sb by phone
- temperature spot — a sensory area in the skin that selectively responds to increased or decreased temperature; a warm spot or a cold spot.
- the first couple — the US president and their spouse
- the gospel truth — the unquestionable truth
- the preconscious — preconscious mental activity
- three-point turn — When the driver of a vehicle does a three-point turn, he or she turns the vehicle by driving forwards in a curve, then backwards in a curve, and then forwards in a curve.
- through-composed — having different music for each verse: a through-composed song. Compare strophic (def 2).
- to bite your lip — If you bite your lip or your tongue, you stop yourself from saying something that you want to say, because it would be the wrong thing to say in the circumstances.
- to dip your toes — If you dip your toes into something or dip your toes into the waters of something, you start doing that thing slowly and carefully, because you are not sure whether it will be successful or whether you will like it.
- 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 speak volumes — If something such as an action speaks volumes about a person or thing, it gives you a lot of information about them.
- tongue depressor — a broad, thin piece of wood used by doctors to hold down the patient's tongue during an examination of the mouth and throat.
- topless swimsuit — swimsuit which has no covering for the breasts
- torsion pendulum — a pendulum the weight of which is rotated alternately in opposite directions through a horizontal plane by the torsion of the suspending rod or spring: used for clocks intended to run a long time between windings.
- transport number — that fraction of the total electric current that anions and cations carry in passing through an electrolytic solution.
- trapezoidal rule — a numerical method for evaluating the area between a curve and an axis by approximating the area with the areas of trapezoids.
- turn upside down — invert
- 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.
- unapologetically — containing an apology or excuse for a fault, failure, insult, injury, etc.: An apologetic letter to his creditors explained the delay.
- uncinate process — a curved, bony process on certain ribs of birds that projects backward and overlaps the succeeding rib, serving to strengthen the thorax.
- under the plough — If an area of land is under the plough, it is used for growing crops. If land is brought or put under the plough, it is ploughed for the first time and is then used for growing crops.
- under-employment — employed at a job that does not fully use one's skills or abilities.
- undercompensated — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
- underconsumption — the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- united provinces — (used with a singular or plural verb) former name of Uttar Pradesh.
- up to one's ears — the organ of hearing and equilibrium in vertebrates, in humans consisting of an external ear that gathers sound vibrations, a middle ear in which the vibrations resonate against the tympanic membrane, and a fluid-filled internal ear that maintains balance and that conducts the tympanic vibrations to the auditory nerve, which transmits them as impulses to the brain.
- up to one's eyes — extremely busy (with)
- up to one's neck — If you say that someone is in some sort of trouble or criminal activity up to their neck, you mean that they are deeply involved in it.
- up to the elbows — deeply engaged (in work, etc.)
- up-to-the-minute — extending to the present moment, as information, facts, or style: an up-to-the-minute news report.
- upper atmosphere — the portion of the atmosphere above the troposphere.
- upsilon particle — the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet (Υ, υ).
- ventriculography — radiography of the ventricles of the heart after injection of a contrast medium
- voice production — the use of the voice in order to create particular effects
- voluntary helper — a person who aids or assists in a specified function of one's own accord and without compulsion or promise of remuneration