19-letter words containing s, e, c, k
- grandfather's clock — a pendulum floor clock having a case as tall as or taller than a person; tall-case clock; long-case clock.
- grandmother's clock — a pendulum clock similar to a grandfather's clock but shorter.
- gray-cheeked thrush — a North American thrush, Catharus minimus, having olive upper parts and grayish cheeks.
- greenstick fracture — an incomplete fracture of a long bone, in which one side is broken and the other side is still intact.
- helsinki conference — Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
- hound's-tooth check — a pattern of broken or jagged checks, used on a variety of fabrics.
- in someone's pocket — If you say that someone is in someone else's pocket, you disapprove of the fact that the first person is willing to do whatever the second person tells them, for example out of weakness or in return for money.
- isokinetic exercise — exercise or a program of exercises to increase muscular strength, power, and endurance based on lifting, pulling, or pushing variable weight or resistance at a constant speed.
- jamaica honeysuckle — a climbing vine, Passiflora laurifolia, of tropical America, having red-spotted white flowers nearly 4 inches (10 cm) wide, with a white and violet-colored crown, and edible yellow fruit.
- james clerk maxwell — Elsa, 1883–1963, U.S. professional hostess and author.
- japanese black pine — a pine, Pinus thunbergiana, of Japan, grown as a seaside ornamental in the U.S.
- jerusalem artichoke — Also called girasol. a sunflower, Helianthus tuberosus, having edible, tuberous, underground stems or rootstocks.
- jockey for position — If someone is jockeying for position, they are using whatever methods they can in order to get into a better position than their rivals.
- kansas-nebraska act — the act of Congress in 1854 annulling the Missouri Compromise, providing for the organization of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and permitting these territories self-determination on the question of slavery.
- karachai-cherkessia — a constituent republic of W Russia, on the N side of the Caucasus Mountains. Capital: Cherkessk. Pop: 439 700 (2002). Area: 14 100 sq km (5440 sq miles)
- keep one's distance — the extent or amount of space between two things, points, lines, etc.
- keep up appearances — If you keep up appearances, you try to behave and dress in a way that people expect of you, even if you can no longer afford it.
- kick up one's heels — the back part of the human foot, below and behind the ankle.
- kilobits per second — (unit) (kbps, kb/s) A unit of data rate where 1 kb/s = 1000 bits per second. This contrasts with units of storage where 1 Kb = 1024 bits (note upper case K).
- kinematic viscosity — the coefficient of viscosity of a fluid divided by the density, usually measured in stokes.
- king charles's head — a fixed idea; personal obsession
- king's remembrancer — (in Great Britain) a judiciary official who collects debts owed to the king.
- knock someone bandy — to amaze or astound
- knock the socks off — to strike a sounding blow with the fist, knuckles, or anything hard, especially on a door, window, or the like, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal: to knock on the door before entering.
- lean over backwards — to make a special effort, esp in order to please
- like a cheshire cat — If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely.
- locomotive workshop — a place where locomotives are built or repaired
- make oneself scarce — insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant: Meat and butter were scarce during the war.
- micromesh stockings — stockings made from a material consisting of a fine mesh
- miracle of st. mark — a painting (1548) by Tintoretto.
- mouse-ear chickweed — any of various similar and related plants of the genus Cerastium
- nasty piece of work — malicious person
- night-scented stock — a plant, Matthiola bicornis, of the genus Matthiola, of the Mediterranean region, cultivated for its brightly coloured flowers: Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- northern hog sucker — black sucker.
- olive-backed thrush — Swainson's thrush.
- oysters rockefeller — oysters topped typically with cooked spinach, cream sauce or butter, bacon, and seasonings, and broiled in a bed of rock salt: served on a half shell
- parachute spinnaker — a very large spinnaker used on a racing yacht.
- particle kinematics — Particle kinematics is the study of the movement of particles, without considering the forces that cause this movement.
- paschen-back effect — a splitting of spectral lines observed when the source of a radiation is subjected to a strong magnetic field, caused when the vectors associated with the spin and orbital angular momentum exhibit individual rather than common precession.
- phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- piggyback investing — Piggyback investing is a situation in which a broker repeats a trade on his own behalf immediately after trading for an investor, because he thinks the investor may have inside information.
- postage and packing — the cost of packing and mailing an item bought by post
- prick up one's ears — a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like.
- pull one's socks up — to make a determined effort, esp in order to regain control of a situation
- put one's back into — to devote all one's strength to (a task)
- quick-change artist — a person adept at changing from one thing to another, as an entertainer who changes costumes quickly during a performance.
- raise one's hackles — one of the long, slender feathers on the neck or saddle of certain birds, as the domestic rooster, much used in making artificial flies for anglers.
- rake over the coals — a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- redbrick university — any new or little-known university, especially one built since World War II to educate students in industrial regions, emphasizing technical subjects rather than the classics, and often partially supported by government funds.