20-letter words containing r, u, c, t

subscription edition — an edition of one or more volumes for which a number of prospective purchasers place orders, usually in advance of publication.
subscription library — a commercial lending library
summary jurisdiction — the right a court has to adjudicate immediately upon some matter arising during its proceedings
superior conjunction — the alignment of an inferior planet and the sun in which the planet is at the far side of the sun from the earth.
supersonic transport — a commercial jet airplane that can fly faster than the speed of sound. Abbreviation: SST.
surface-active agent — any substance that when dissolved in water or an aqueous solution reduces its surface tension or the interfacial tension between it and another liquid.
surveillance society — a society where surveillance technology is widely used to monitor people's everyday activities
synchronous rotation — rotation of a satellite in which the period of rotation is equal to the period of orbit around its primary, leaving the same face always pointing toward the primary: The moon is in synchronous rotation about the earth.
systemic circulation — the circulatory system in general.
telephone subscriber — a person who subscribes to a telephone service
terrestrial guidance — a method of missile or rocket guidance in which the flight path is controlled by reference to the strength and direction of the earth's gravitational or magnetic field
the butterfat cheque — the total annual cash return for operations on a dairy farm
the canterbury tales — an uncompleted sequence of tales by Chaucer, written for the most part after 1387.
the course of nature — the ordinary course of events
the gnomes of zurich — Swiss bankers and financiers
the internet account — An Internet provider in Sydney, Australia who provides SLIP, PPP and CLI accounts for the same rates. <[email protected]> handles Acorn software. E-mail: <[email protected]>. Telephone: +61 (2) 968 4333. Fax: +61 (2) 968 4334. Address: PO BOX 473, Crows Nest, NSE 2065, Australia.
the luck of the draw — If you say that something is the luck of the draw, you mean that it is the result of chance and you cannot do anything about it.
the methodist church — a group of people within the Christian religion who follow a system of faith and practice initiated by the English preacher John Wesley (1703–91) and his followers
therapeutic abortion — abortion performed when a woman's pregnancy endangers her health.
thermal conductivity — the amount of heat per unit time per unit area that can be conducted through a plate of unit thickness of a given material, the faces of the plate differing by one unit of temperature.
thomas of erceldoune — Thomas of, Thomas of Erceldoune.
thought transference — transference of thought by extrasensory means from the mind of one individual to another; telepathy.
to catch your breath — If something makes you catch your breath, it makes you take a short breath of air, usually because it shocks you.
to clean up your act — If someone who has been behaving badly cleans up their act, they start to behave in a more acceptable or responsible way.
to clear your throat — If you clear your throat, you cough once in order to make it easier to speak or to attract people's attention.
to come to full term — to be carried or last until the ninth month of gestation or pregnancy
to cross the rubicon — If you say that someone has crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they cannot change a decision or course of action.
to cry your eyes out — If you cry your eyes out, you cry very hard.
to disturb the peace — If someone is accused of disturbing the peace, they are accused of behaving in a noisy and offensive way in public.
to flex your muscles — If a group, organization, or country flexes its muscles, it does something to impress or frighten people, in order to show them that it has power and is considering using it.
to get your own back — If you get your own back on someone, you have your revenge on them because of something bad that they have done to you.
to keep your balance — If you keep your balance, for example, when standing in a moving vehicle, you remain steady and do not fall over. If you lose your balance, you become unsteady and fall over.
to line your pockets — If you say that someone is lining their own or someone else's pockets, you disapprove of them because they are making money dishonestly or unfairly.
to pull your punches — If you say that someone does not pull their punches when they are criticizing a person or thing, you mean that they say exactly what they think, even though this might upset or offend people.
tobacco mosaic virus — a retrovirus causing mosaic disease in members of the nightshade family. Abbreviation: TMV.
too much information — I don't want to hear any more
toothbrush moustache — a short narrow moustache, resembling the filaments of a toothbrush
transposed conjugate — adjoint (def 2).
treasury certificate — an obligation of the U.S. government represented by certificates in denominations ranging from $1000 to $1,000,000, maturing in one year or less with interest periodically payable by the redemption of coupons.
triple witching hour — the last hour of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the four Fridays each year when stock options, stock index futures, and options on such futures simultaneously expire: regarded as a time of extreme volatility in trading.
troilus and cressida — a satiric comedy (1598–1602?) by Shakespeare.
tropical disturbance — a very weak, or incipient, tropical cyclone.
trumpet call for sth — a signal for something
try conclusions with — to engage in an argument or contest with
turn the other cheek — not retaliate
turnip-rooted celery — celeriac.
uncertificated share — a share of a mutual fund credited to the account of a shareholder without the physical issuance of a certificate evidencing ownership.
uncharacteristically — Also, characteristical. pertaining to, constituting, or indicating the character or peculiar quality of a person or thing; typical; distinctive: Red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn.
under the microscope — If you say that something is under the microscope, you mean that it is being studied very closely, usually because it is believed that something is wrong with it.
unified screw thread — a screw thread system introduced for defence equipment (1939–44), in which the thread form and pitch were a compromise between British Standard Whitworth and American Standard Sellers: adopted by the International Standards Organization

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