19-letter words containing p, r, o, u
- quartermaster corps — the branch of the U.S. Army responsible for supplying food, clothing, fuel, and equipment and for the operation of commissaries, laundries, etc.
- radiopharmaceutical — any of a number of radioactive drugs used diagnostically or therapeutically.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- rapture of the deep — nitrogen narcosis.
- reactor temperature — The reactor temperature is the temperature at various stages in a reactor in an FCC unit.
- reciprocity failure — a failure of the two exposure variables, light intensity and exposure time, to behave in a reciprocal fashion at very high or very low values
- reconceptualization — to form into a concept; make a concept of.
- recording equipment — devices used for sound reproduction
- reduction potential — (in a galvanic cell) the potential of the electrode at which reduction occurs.
- reflux oesophagitis — inflammation of the gullet caused by regurgitation of stomach acids, producing heartburn: may be associated with a hiatus hernia
- republic of ireland — John, 1838–1918, U.S. Roman Catholic clergyman and social reformer, born in Ireland: archbishop of St. Paul, Minn., 1888–1918.
- republic of letters — the collective body of literary people.
- republic of vietnam — the name (from 1955–75) for South Vietnam, as an independent republic, following the division of the country in 1954 into North Vietnam and South Vietnam
- reserved occupation — in time of war, an occupation from which one will not be called up for military service
- respiratory failure — a condition in which the respiratory system is unable to provide an adequate supply of oxygen or to remove carbon dioxide efficiently
- room-temperature iq — (abuse) (IBM) 80 or below. Used in describing the expected intelligence range of the luser. "Well, but how's this interface going to play with the room-temperature IQ crowd?" This is a much more insulting phrase in countries that use Celsius thermometers. See drool-proof paper.
- ruffini's corpuscle — an end organ of certain sensory neurons that branches out parallel to the skin and responds to steady pressure.
- san juan capistrano — a city in SW California: site of old Spanish mission; known for annual return of swallows, said to occur on March 19.
- sb's spiritual home — your spiritual home is the place where you feel that you belong, usually because your ideas or attitudes are the same as those of the people who live there
- scale down (or up) — to reduce (or increase), often according to a fixed ratio or proportion
- sexual reproduction — reproduction involving the union of gametes.
- sexual stereotyping — the formation or promotion of a fixed general idea or image of how men and women will behave
- sharp-focus realism — photorealism.
- sharp-tailed grouse — a grouse, Pedioecetes phasianellus, of prairies and open forests of western North America, similar in size to the prairie chicken but with a more pointed tail.
- simple closed curve — a curve that is closed and that has no loops or points missing; a curve for which there exists a homeomorphism mapping it to a circle.
- sodium hypochlorite — a pale-green, crystalline compound, NaOCl, unstable in air, soluble in cold water, decomposes in hot water: used as a bleaching agent for paper and textiles, in water purification, in household use, and as a fungicide.
- southern crab apple — a tree, Malus angustifolia, of the eastern U.S., having oblong leaves, fragrant, pink or rose-colored flowers, and small, round, yellow-green fruit.
- southern hemisphere — the half of the earth between the South Pole and the equator.
- spare a thought for — If you spare a thought for an unfortunate person, you make an effort to think sympathetically about them and their bad luck.
- specular reflection — Specular reflection is reflection of heat or light in which the angles of different parts of the surface are important.
- sphere of influence — any area in which one nation wields dominant power over another or others.
- standing broad jump — a jump for distance from a standing position.
- stationery cupboard — a cupboard where things like paper, pens and paper clips are kept
- step-up transformer — a device that transfers an alternating current from one circuit to one or more other circuits with an increase of voltage
- stratford-upon-avon — town in S Warwickshire, England, on the Avon: birthplace & burial place of Shakespeare: pop. of county district (called Stratford-on-Avon) 106,000
- strict counterpoint — the application of the rules of counterpoint as an academic exercise
- substitution cipher — a cipher that replaces letters of the plain text with another set of letters or symbols.
- subtractive process — a process of color photography in which the colors are formed by combination of cyan, yellow, and magenta lights.
- succession of crops — the continuous cultivation of a crop throughout a season by successive plantings or by the use of varieties with different rates of growth.
- superannuation fund — a fund used for paying pensions
- superiority complex — an exaggerated feeling of one's own superiority.
- supplementary story — follow-up (def 3b).
- supreme de volaille — suprême (def 2).
- suspension geometry — Suspension geometry is the geometric arrangement of the parts of a suspension system, and the value of the lengths and angles within it.
- suspensory ligament — any of several tissues that suspend certain organs or parts of the body, especially the transparent, delicate web of fibrous tissue that supports the crystalline lens.
- teacher-pupil ratio — the number of teachers relative to the number of pupils in a particular school
- telescopic umbrella — an umbrella having parts that telescope
- the buck stops here — the ultimate responsibility lies here
- the open university — (in Britain) a university founded in 1969 for mature students studying by television and radio lectures, correspondence courses, local counselling, and summer schools
- theatrical producer — a person who is responsible for all aspects of a theatrical production