17-letter words containing r, u, n, o

the rann of kutch — an extensive salt waste in W central India, and S Pakistan: consists of the Great Rann in the north and the Little Rann in the southeast; seasonal alternation between marsh and desert; some saltworks. In 1968 an international tribunal awarded about 10 per cent of the border area to Pakistan. Area: 23 000 sq km (9000 sq miles)
the underemployed — underemployed people
the upper regions — the sky; heavens
the witching hour — the hour at which witches are supposed to appear, usually midnight
theodore sturgeon — Theodore (Hamilton) 1918–85, U.S. science-fiction writer.
theory of numbers — number theory.
thermal diffusion — the separation of constituents, often isotopes, of a fluid under the influence of a temperature gradient.
thermal pollution — a rise in the temperature of rivers or lakes that is injurious to water-dwelling life and is caused by the disposal of heated industrial waste water or water from the cooling towers of nuclear power plants.
thermocoagulation — the coagulation of tissue by heat-producing high-frequency electric currents, used therapeutically to remove small growths or to create specific lesions in the brain.
thought-provoking — If something such as a book or a film is thought-provoking, it contains interesting ideas that make people think seriously.
thread escutcheon — a raised metal rim around a keyhole.
thuringian forest — a forested mountain region in central Germany: a resort area.
to knit your brow — If you knit your brows or knit your eyebrows, you frown because you are angry or worried.
to lose your mind — If you say that someone is losing their mind, you mean that they are becoming mad.
to open your eyes — If something opens your eyes, it makes you aware that something is different from the way that you thought it was.
to open your mind — If something opens your mind to new ideas or experiences, it makes you more willing to accept them or try them.
to risk your neck — If you say that someone is risking their neck, you mean they are doing something very dangerous, often in order to achieve something.
to run its course — If something runs its course or takes its course, it develops naturally and comes to a natural end.
to slip your mind — If something slips your mind, you forget it.
tongue-and-groove — the technique of making a joint between two boards by means of a tongue along the edge of one board that fits into a groove along the edge of the other board
top-security wing — a wing of a prison, mental hospital, etc that has a very high level of precautions against escape
torricellian tube — a vertical glass tube partly evacuated and partly filled with mercury, the height of which is used as a measure of atmospheric pressure
touch a raw nerve — If you say that you have touched a nerve or touched a raw nerve, you mean that you have accidentally upset someone by talking about something that they feel strongly about or are very sensitive about.
tourette syndrome — a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent involuntary movements, including multiple neck jerks and sometimes vocal tics, as grunts, barks, or words, especially obscenities.
transfer function — The transfer function of a circuit is the ratio of the response to the input.
trapdoor function — a function defined from data by means of a mathematical procedure in such a way that it is easy to obtain the function when the data are known, but when the procedure and data are not known it becomes very difficult to determine the original data: used in cryptography, where the data are the characters of the plain text, or message, and the trapdoor function is the cryptogram.
triboluminescence — luminescence produced by friction, usually within a crystalline substance.
tungsten trioxide — a heavy, canary-yellow, water-insoluble powder, WO 3 , used in the manufacture of tungstates.
turbinado (sugar) — a partially refined, granulated, pale-brown sugar obtained by washing raw sugar in a centrifuge until most of the molasses is removed
turkish towelling — woven cloth which is used to make towels, wash cloths, etc
turn of the screw — a short novel (1898) by Henry James.
turn on the charm — If someone turns on the charm, they behave in a way that seems very friendly but which you think is insincere, often in order to obtain something or deceive someone.
turn-down service — In a hotel, a turn-down service is the preparation of a room for a guest to sleep in by slightly turning back the comforter on the bed, turning down the lights, and so on.
turner's syndrome — an abnormal congenital condition resulting from a defect on or absence of the second sex chromosome, characterized by retarded growth of the gonads.
twenty four seven — continually; constantly: They're together 24/7.
twenty-four hours — the time taken by the Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis; a whole day
twenty-four seven — continually; constantly: They're together 24/7.
twenty-four-seven — continually; constantly: They're together 24/7.
ultraconservative — extremely conservative, especially in politics.
ultramicrobalance — a balance for weighing precisely, to a hundredth of a microgram or less, minute quantities of material.
unclassified road — a road that has not been given a grade because it is of a basic standard
uncomfortableness — causing discomfort or distress; painful; irritating.
uncomprehendingly — to understand the nature or meaning of; grasp with the mind; perceive: He did not comprehend the significance of the ambassador's remark.
unconformity trap — An unconformity trap is a hydrocarbon trap where the closure is made by an unconformity (= a formation of rock layers which represents a gap in the geological record).
uncooperativeness — working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit.
under the counter — (of merchandise) sold clandestinely.
under the sign of — during that portion of the year when the sun is passing through and thus subject to the influence of (a specified sign of the zodiac)
under-the-counter — (of merchandise) sold clandestinely.
undercompensation — to compensate or pay less than is fair, customary, or expected.
underground movie — a movie produced independently on a low budget and often using experimental techniques and avant-garde themes.

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