23-letter words containing p, s, o, r
- staggered directorships — a defence against unwelcome takeover bids in which a company resolves that its directors should serve staggered terms of office and that no director can be removed from office without just cause, thus preventing a bidder from controlling the board for some years
- statutory maternity pay — the maternity pay a woman is legally entitled to
- stereoscopic microscope — a microscope that produces a three-dimensional image of an object by focusing on the object from slightly different positions in each of two lenses.
- stereospecific catalyst — a catalyst for stereospecific chemical reactions
- structural anthropology — a school of anthropology founded by Claude Lévi-Strauss and based loosely on the principles of structural linguistics.
- structural unemployment — unemployment caused by basic changes in the overall economy, as in demographics, technology, or industrial organization.
- subscription television — pay television.
- superposition principle — principle of superposition.
- suprasegmental phonemes — phonemes or features of speech, as pitch, stress, and juncture, that may extend over and modify series of segmental phonemes
- text processing utility — (language) (TPU) A DEC language for creation of text-processing interfaces, used to implement DEC's Extensible VAX Editor (EVE).
- the chamber of deputies — the lower legislative assembly in some parliaments
- the department of state — the United States federal department concerned with foreign policy
- the scottish parliament — the devolved national legislature of Scotland, located in Edinburgh
- the teaching profession — the profession of a teacher
- to keep a straight face — If you manage to keep a straight face, you manage to look serious, although you want to laugh.
- to keep sth to yourself — If you keep something to yourself, you do not tell anyone else about it.
- to keep your nose clean — If you keep your nose clean, you behave well and stay out of trouble.
- to pay through the nose — If you say that you paid through the nose for something, you are emphasizing that you had to pay what you consider too high a price for it.
- to play for high stakes — to gamble on something very important
- to put your mind to sth — If you put your mind to something, you start making an effort to do it.
- transplantation antigen — a histocompatibility antigen identified by its effect on the rejection of transplanted cells or tissues.
- transverse presentation — presentation in which the fetus is turned with its long axis across the mouth of the uterus, at right angles to the axis of the birth canal.
- triple expansion engine — (formerly) a steam engine in which the steam is expanded in three stages in cylinders of increasing diameter to accommodate the increasing volume of the steam
- turn-and-slip indicator — bank-and-turn indicator.
- two-spotted spider mite — a widespread web-spinning mite, Tetranychus urticae, that is a pest of fruit trees and houseplants.
- unincorporated business — a privately owned business, often owned by one person who has unlimited liability as the business is not legally registered as a company
- unipress software, inc. — (company) A developer and distributor of Unix software. They produce PC-UNIX connectivity software, development tools and applications and provide technical support and maintenance, porting services, training and consulting.
- unprotected intercourse — an act of sexual intercourse or sodomy performed without the use of a condom thus involving the risk of sexually transmitted diseases
- variable contrast paper — printing paper in which the contrast of the image is controlled by the color of the printing light.
- volumetric displacement — the volume of air per revolution that passes through a mechanical pump when the pressure at the intake and the exhaust is the same as that of the atmosphere
- voyageurs national park — a national park in N Minnesota. 343 sq. mi. (888 sq. km).
- war manpower commission — the board (1942–45) that regulated the most efficient use of labor during World War II. Abbreviation: WMC.
- when the chips are down — a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.
- white-coat hypertension — the phenomenon of having elevated blood pressure only during a medical consultation