16-letter words containing p, r, e, t

taimyr peninsula — a peninsula in the N Russian Federation in Asia, between the Kara and Laptev seas.
take a page from — to follow the example of; imitate
take by surprise — to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness: Her beauty surprised me.
tamper-resistant — difficult to tamper with: a tamper-resistant cap on a medicine bottle.
tandem computers — (company) A US computer manufacturer. Quarterly sales $544M, profits $49M (Aug 1994).
tax depreciation — Tax depreciation is depreciation in a company's internal financial records that is different from the amount that is used for the internal books.
telephone number — digits dialled to reach sb by phone
telespectroscope — a combination of a telescope and a spectroscope, used for spectroscopic analysis of radiation from stars and other celestial bodies
temperature spot — a sensory area in the skin that selectively responds to increased or decreased temperature; a warm spot or a cold spot.
tent caterpillar — any of the larvae of several moths of the genus Malacosoma, which feed on the leaves of orchard and shade trees and live colonially in a tentlike silken web.
tephrochronology — a geochronologic technique based on the dating of layers of volcanic ash.
terminal adaptor — (networking, hardware) (TA) Equipment used to adapt Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Basic Rate Interface (BRI) channels to existing terminal equipment standards such as EIA-232 and V.35. A Terminal Adaptor is typically packaged like a modem, either as a stand-alone unit or as an interface card that plugs into a computer or other communications equipment (such as a router or PBX). A Terminal Adaptor does not interoperate with a modem; it replaces it.
terms of payment — The terms of payment of a sale state how and when an invoice is to be paid.
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 first couple — the US president and their spouse
the gospel truth — the unquestionable truth
the great escape — a film (1963) directed by John Sturges, written by James Clavell and W.R. Burnett, based on a book by Paul Brickhill, and starring Steve McQueen. It follows an attempt made by Allied prisoners of war to escape a German prisoner of war camp during World War II
the great powers — the states or nations of the world with the most economic, political and military strength
the herring-pond — the Atlantic Ocean
the moving party — a person who applies to a court or judge with the aim of obtaining a ruling in their favour
the preconscious — preconscious mental activity
the public purse — money from or controlled by the government
the supernatural — supernatural forces, occurrences, and beings collectively or their realm
the time is ripe — If you say the time is ripe, you mean that a suitable time has arrived for something to be done.
the yellow press — (formerly) popular newspapers publishing sensational stories
the-card-players — a painting (1892) by Paul Cézanne.
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.
thinking pattern — manner of thinking
three-piece suit — men's formal outfit
three-point line — Basketball. a field goal worth three points, made from behind a specified line (three-point line)
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.
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.
thrombocytopenia — an abnormal decrease in the number of blood platelets.
thrombophlebitis — the presence of a thrombus in a vein accompanied by inflammation of the vessel wall.
through-composed — having different music for each verse: a through-composed song. Compare strophic (def 2).
tiger kidnapping — a kidnapping in which one or more hostages are taken to coerce another person, usually a relation of the person or people held, to take part in a crime
tightrope walker — performer who walks on high wire
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 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 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 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 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 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.
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.
top drive system — A top drive system is a system which includes a motor that turns the drill string, used instead of the kelly.

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