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15-letter words containing r, e, s, i, l, n

  • snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
  • snapping turtle — either of two large, edible, freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae, of North and Central America, having a large head and powerful hooked jaws, especially the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
  • somerset island — an island in the Arctic Ocean in Nunavut, Canada, NW of Baffin Island. 9594 sq. mi. (24,848 sq. km).
  • sons of liberty — any of several patriotic societies, originally secret, that opposed the Stamp Act and thereafter supported moves for American independence.
  • soul-destroying — Activities or situations that are soul-destroying make you depressed, because they are boring or because there is no hope of improvement.
  • southern blight — a disease of peanuts, tomatoes, and other plants, caused by a fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii, affecting the roots and resulting in rapid wilting.
  • southern lights — aurora australis.
  • spanish trefoil — alfalfa.
  • sparkling water — soda water (def 1).
  • special partner — a partner whose liability for the firm's debts is limited to the amount that partner has invested in the firm.
  • spelling reform — an attempt to change the spelling of English words to make it conform more closely to pronunciation.
  • spherical angle — an angle formed by arcs of great circles of a sphere.
  • spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
  • spiral notebook — a notebook held together by a coil of wire passed through small holes punched at the back edge of the covers and individual pages
  • spirit leveling — leveling according to the indications of a spirit level.
  • spread sampling — the selection of a corpus for statistical analysis by selecting a number of short passages at random throughout the work and considering their aggregation
  • spring-cleaning — a complete cleaning of a place, as a home, done traditionally in the spring of the year.
  • sprinkler dance — a celebratory dance in which participants extend one arm and shake it to imitate the action of a rotating water sprinkler
  • squirrel monkey — either of two small, long-tailed monkeys, Saimiri oerstedii of Central America and S. sciureus of South America, having a small white face with black muzzle and gold, brown, or greenish fur: S. oerstedii is endangered.
  • starting handle — a crank used to start the motor of an automobile.
  • steel engraving — a method of incising letters, designs, etc., on steel.
  • steering column — the shaft that connects the steering wheel to the steering gear assembly of an automotive vehicle.
  • sterling silver — of, relating to, or noting British money: The sterling equivalent is #5.50.
  • stillson wrench — a large wrench having adjustable jaws that tighten as the pressure on the handle is increased
  • stilpnosiderite — a resinous variety of limonite with a black-brown colour
  • stirling engine — an external-combustion engine in which heat from outside the cylinders causes air confined in the cylinders to expand and drive the pistons.
  • stocking filler — A stocking filler is a small present that is suitable for putting in a Christmas stocking.
  • streamline flow — the flow of a fluid past an object such that the velocity at any fixed point in the fluid is constant or varies in a regular manner.
  • street lighting — the provision of lighting at night in public places to illuminate the streets
  • striking circle — the semicircular area in front of each goal, which an attacking player must have entered before scoring a goal
  • string variable — data on which arithmetical operations will not be performed
  • strobe lighting — a high-intensity flashing beam of light produced by rapid electrical discharges in a tube or by a perforated disc rotating in front of an intense light source: used in discotheques, etc
  • subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
  • sulphinpyrazone — a uricosuric drug with molecular formula C23H20N2O3S, used in the treatment of chronic gout
  • summer triangle — a group of three first-magnitude stars (Deneb, Vega, and Altair) visible during the summer in the N skies
  • superexaltation — extreme or supreme exaltation; the act of superexalting; the process or condition of being superexalted
  • superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
  • superindividual — greater than the individual
  • superinvolution — an act or instance of involving or entangling; involvement.
  • superior planet — any of the five planets whose orbits are outside the orbit of the earth, namely, the planets Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  • supernaturalism — supernatural character or agency.
  • supernaturalist — supernatural character or agency.
  • supernaturality — the quality or state of being supernatural; supernaturalism.
  • supernaturalize — to make supernatural; give supernatural character or qualities to.
  • supporting role — acting: secondary part
  • supreme council — the legislature of the former Soviet Union and its successor states, consisting of an upper house (Soviet of the Union or Council of the Union) whose delegates are elected on the basis of population, and a lower house (Soviet of Nationalities or Council of Nationalities) whose delegates are elected to represent the various nationalities.
  • surgical needle — a needle for suturing.
  • sylvian fissure — lateral fissure.
  • synergistically — pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling synergy: a synergistic effect.
  • tennis bracelet — a bracelet consisting of a row of individually set, uniformly sized diamonds or other gemstones.
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