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15-letter words containing s, e, p, u

  • simple equation — linear equation
  • simple fracture — a fracture in which the bone does not pierce the skin.
  • simple pendulum — a hypothetical apparatus consisting of a point mass suspended from a weightless, frictionless thread whose length is constant, the motion of the body about the string being periodic and, if the angle of deviation from the original equilibrium position is small, representing simple harmonic motion (distinguished from physical pendulum).
  • sinai peninsula — broad peninsula in NE Egypt, between the Gulf of Suez & the Gulf of Aqaba
  • situs picketing — common situs picketing.
  • sleeping beauty — a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
  • sleeve coupling — a cylinder joining the ends of two lengths of shafting or pipe.
  • smoke pollution — pollution caused by fuels, etc, that produce smoke when burned
  • snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
  • snapping turtle — either of two large, edible, freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae, of North and Central America, having a large head and powerful hooked jaws, especially the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
  • sodium peroxide — a yellowish-white, hygroscopic, water-soluble powder, Na 2 O 2 , used chiefly as a bleaching agent and as an oxidizing agent.
  • sodium sulphate — a solid white substance that occurs naturally as thenardite and is usually used as the white anhydrous compound (salt cake) or the white crystalline decahydrate (Glauber's salt) in making glass, detergents, and pulp. Formula: Na2SO4
  • sostenuto pedal — a pedal on a grand piano that raises the dampers, allowing the tone to be sustained for those strings struck at the time the pedal is depressed.
  • southern paiute — See under Paiute (def 2).
  • special feature — an article differing from the normal format and focusing on a particular topic
  • special student — a student who is not seeking a degree but enrols in a course, esp to gain academic credits
  • special subject — an area of knowledge in which someone specializes
  • specific volume — volume per unit mass; the reciprocal of density.
  • spinous process — a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.
  • spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
  • splanchnopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the lower layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the underlying entoderm, which develops into the embryonic viscera.
  • spontaneousness — coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
  • spotted sunfish — a sunfish, Lepomis punctatus, inhabiting streams from South Carolina to Florida, having the body marked with longitudinal rows of spots.
  • stand-up comedy — telling jokes to an audience
  • static pressure — the pressure exerted by a fluid that is not moving or flowing.
  • steak au poivre — pepper steak (def 2).
  • steamed pudding — a traditional pudding containing fat, sugar, eggs, flour, and other ingredients, which is steamed
  • stiff upper lip — stoicism
  • stirrup leather — the strap that holds the stirrup of a saddle.
  • streptobacillus — any of various bacilli that form in chains.
  • studhorse poker — stud poker.
  • sub-post office — (in Britain) a post office run by a sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress as a self-employed agent for the Post Office
  • subject pronoun — pronoun in nominative case
  • subperiosteally — the normal investment of bone, consisting of a dense, fibrous outer layer, to which muscles attach, and a more delicate, inner layer capable of forming bone.
  • subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
  • subreptitiously — in a subreptitious manner
  • substratosphere — the upper troposphere.
  • suicide attempt — bid to kill oneself
  • sulfite process — a process for making wood pulp by digesting wood chips in an acid liquor consisting of sulfurous acid and a salt, usually calcium bisulfite.
  • sully-prudhomme — René François Armand [ruh-ney frahn-swa ar-mahn] /rəˈneɪ frɑ̃ˈswa arˈmɑ̃/ (Show IPA), 1839–1907, French poet: Nobel prize 1901.
  • sulphinpyrazone — a uricosuric drug with molecular formula C23H20N2O3S, used in the treatment of chronic gout
  • sulphur dioxide — a colourless soluble pungent gas produced by burning sulphur. It is both an oxidizing and a reducing agent and is used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, the preservation of a wide range of foodstuffs (E220), bleaching, and disinfecting. Formula: SO2
  • super-committee — a committee with members from two or more organizations or political groups
  • super-efficient — performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: a reliable, efficient assistant.
  • super-sexuality — sexual character; possession of the structural and functional traits of sex.
  • superabundantly — very or too abundantly
  • superbureaucrat — an important or highly powerful bureaucrat
  • superconfidence — great or extreme confidence, overconfidence
  • superconvenient — highly convenient
  • superefficiency — the quality or condition of being superefficient
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