14-letter words containing r, s, f
- sensitive fern — a common, widely distributed fern, Onoclea sensibilis, having large, triangular leaves and beadlike spikes that contain the spores.
- seventy-fourth — next after the seventy-third; being the ordinal number for 74.
- seward's folly — the purchase of Alaska in 1867, through the negotiations of Secretary of State W. H. Seward.
- seyfert galaxy — one of a group of spiral galaxies with compact, bright nuclei having characteristically broad emission lines suggestive of very hot gases in violent motion at the center.
- share of voice — the proportion of the total audience or readership commanded by a media group across its full range of publishing and broadcasting activities
- shark-infested — (of a body of water) known to contain large numbers of sharks, and therefore considered to be dangerous
- sharp-featured — having very clearly defined facial features
- shift register — (in digital circuits) a register in which all bits can be shifted one or more positions to the left or to the right
- shipping fever — a respiratory disease of cattle, caused by Pasteurella haemolytica, often spread during the shipment of livestock.
- shortened form — an abbreviated form of a multisyllable word; clipped form.
- shortleaf pine — a pine, Pinus echinata, of the southern U.S., having short, flexible leaves.
- sickle feather — one of the paired, elongated, sickle-shaped, middle feathers of the tail of the rooster.
- siegfried line — a zone of fortifications in W Germany facing the Maginot Line, constructed in the years preceding World War II.
- sigh of relief — audible breath when difficulty is over
- skeleton draft — a basic or minimum draft or outline
- slide fastener — zipper (def 2).
- slit fricative — a fricative, as (f) or (th), in which the tongue is relatively flat, with air channeled over it through a shallow slit.
- so far so good — all is well up to this point
- social welfare — social services provided by a government for its citizens.
- soft ice-cream — a softer and lighter-textured ice cream that contains more air than standard ice-cream. It was developed in Britain in the 20th century.
- soft margarine — a soft, spreadable margarine that is made with more liquid oils and less hydrogenated oils than hard, block margarine
- soft sculpture — sculpture principally in vinyl, canvas, or other flexible material reproducing objects of characteristically rigid construction, as an electric fan, a typewriter, a set of drums, or a bathtub, in forms having a malleable texture and a liquescent, somewhat deflated appearance.
- soft tree fern — an Australian tree fern, Dicksonia antarctica, with a thick trunk and large spreading green fronds
- software house — a commercial organization that specializes in the production of computer software packages
- somar software — (company) The distributors of Somar DumpAcl and other utilities for Windows NT. Address: Washington, DC, USA.
- sorting office — postal
- southern-fried — coated with flour, egg, and bread crumbs and fried in deep fat: Southern-fried chicken.
- space platform — space station.
- speak well for — to say or indicate something favorable about
- spearfisherman — a person who engages in spearfishing.
- special forces — crack military team
- spinning frame — a machine for drawing, twisting, and winding yarn.
- sportfisherman — a motorboat fitted out for sportfishing.
- sprightfulness — the condition or quality of being sprightful
- springform pan — a metal cake pan with sides that can be unfastened to facilitate releasing the cake when done.
- square oneself — to make amends for damage, a wrong, hurt, etc. done by oneself to another
- staff corporal — a noncommissioned rank in the British Army above that of staff sergeant and below that of warrant officer
- staff sergeant — U.S. Air Force. a noncommissioned officer ranking below a technical sergeant and above an airman first class.
- staff training — training to improve the performance or knowledge of the employees or workforce or a company, etc
- staffing ratio — the ratio of the staff or workforce of a place to another group, for example to staff in another department, the ratio of patients to nurses in a hospital, or the ratio of pupils to teachers in a school
- stagflationary — of, caused by, or relating to, stagflation
- state of grace — grace (def 8d).
- steer clear of — to guide the course of (something in motion) by a rudder, helm, wheel, etc.: to steer a bicycle.
- stephen foster — Stephen (Collins) 1826–64, U.S. songwriter.
- stereospecific — (of a reaction) producing a simple stereoisomer.
- sticky fingers — an inclination or tendency to steal or pilfer
- stigmatiferous — (of a plant) having a stigma
- stock transfer — Stock transfer is the act of moving goods from one part of the distribution chain to another.
- stocking frame — a type of knitting machine
- stop-and-frisk — a policy that permits a police officer to momentarily detain and pat down or search a person suspected of criminal activity, especially when suspected of concealing a weapon.