18-letter words containing r, o, a, d, t, e

scratch one's head — If you say that someone is scratching their head, you mean that they are thinking hard and trying to solve a problem or puzzle.
search-and-destroy — designed to find and destroy by bombing etc
second triumvirate — the coalition and joint rule of the Roman Empire by Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian, begun in 43 bc
secondary industry — manufacturing, services, etc.
self-contradiction — an act or instance of contradicting oneself or itself.
self-contradictory — an act or instance of contradicting oneself or itself.
self-determination — determination by oneself or itself, without outside influence.
september holidays — a period of time in September when people do not have to go to school, college or work
sex discrimination — the practice of treating male and female people unequally
short-tailed shrew — a grayish-black shrew, Blarina brevicauda, common in eastern North America, that has a tail less than half the length of the body.
shorthand notebook — a notebook used by a shorthand writer
sindbad the sailor — (in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments), a wealthy citizen of Baghdad who relates the adventures of his seven wonderful voyages.
sodium bicarbonate — a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, in powder or granules, NaHCO 3 , usually prepared by the reaction of soda ash with carbon dioxide or obtained from the intermediate product of the Solvay process by purification: used chiefly in the manufacture of sodium salts, baking powder, and beverages, as a laboratory reagent, as a fire extinguisher, and in medicine as an antacid.
sodium tetraborate — borax1 .
solitary sandpiper — a North American sandpiper, Tringa solitaria, of inland wetlands, having a brownish-gray, white-spotted back and whitish underparts.
sound and the fury — a novel (1929) by William Faulkner.
sound spectrograph — an electronic device for recording a sound spectogram.
southern rhodesian — a former name (until 1964) of Zimbabwe (def 1).
sow dragon's teeth — to take some action that is intended to prevent strife or trouble but that actually brings it about
spotted flycatcher — a European woodland songbird, Muscicapa striata, with a greyish-brown streaked plumage: family Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers)
st. andrew's cross — a low evergreen shrub, Ascyrum hypericoides, native to temperate and subtropical America, having flowers in clusters of three: often cultivated.
stand one's ground — the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.
stand-by generator — an electrical system which operates automatically in case the usual system malfunctions
standard deviation — a measure of dispersion in a frequency distribution, equal to the square root of the mean of the squares of the deviations from the arithmetic mean of the distribution.
stomach sweetbread — sweetbread (def 1).
strathclyde region — a former local government region in W Scotland: formed in 1975 from Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Buteshire, Dunbartonshire, and parts of Argyllshire, Ayrshire, and Stirlingshire; replaced in 1996 by the council areas of Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and East Ayrshire
subordinate clause — a clause that modifies the principal clause or some part of it or that serves a noun function in the principal clause, as when she arrived in the sentence I was there when she arrived or that she has arrived in the sentence I doubt that she has arrived.
sun-dried tomatoes — tomatoes that have been dried or preserved by exposure to the sun
supraorbital ridge — browridge.
telford and wrekin — a unitary authority in W Central England, in Shropshire. Pop: 160 300 (2003 est). Area: 289 sq km (112 sq miles)
temporary hardness — hardness of water due to the presence of magnesium and calcium hydrogencarbonates, which can be precipitated as carbonates by boiling
tender loving care — considerate and kindly care, as of someone who is ill, upset, etc
tertiary education — education, following secondary education at a school, at a college or university
the bird has flown — the person in question has fled or escaped
the dark continent — a term for Africa when it was relatively unexplored
the first sea lord — the senior of the two serving naval officers who sits on the admiralty board of the Ministry of Defence
the grand national — an annual steeplechase run at Aintree, Liverpool, since 1839
the lords temporal — (in Britain) peers other than bishops in their capacity as members of the House of Lords
the operative word — If you describe a word as the operative word, you want to draw attention to it because you think it is important or exactly true in a particular situation.
the same old story — the familiar or regular course of events
the-dark-continent — Africa: so called, especially during the 19th century, because little was known about it.
theodore gericault — (Jean Louis André) Théodore [zhahn lwee ahn-drey tey-aw-dawr] /ʒɑ̃ lwi ɑ̃ˈdreɪ teɪ ɔˈdɔr/ (Show IPA), 1791–1824, French painter.
thioarsenious acid — any of a group of hypothetical acids, H3AsS3, HAsS2, and H4As2S5, known only in the forms of their salts
three-cornered hat — a triangular shaped hat which was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries; its turned up brim formed a gutter for catching rain
to agree to differ — If two people who are arguing about something agree to disagree or agree to differ, they decide to stop arguing because neither of them is going to change their opinion.
to be above ground — to be alive
to be on the radar — to be noticed or important
to be said for sth — If you say there is a lot to be said for something, you mean you think it has a lot of good qualities or aspects.
to clear the decks — If you clear the decks, you get ready to start something new by finishing any work that has to be done or getting rid of any problems that are in the way.
to cut the mustard — If someone does not cut the mustard, their work or their performance is not as good as it should be or as good as it is expected to be.

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