17-letter words containing s, f, e
- lead a dog's life — a domesticated canid, Canis familiaris, bred in many varieties.
- league of nations — an international organization to promote world peace and cooperation that was created by the Treaty of Versailles (1919): dissolved April 1946.
- least fixed point — (mathematics) A function f may have many fixed points (x such that f x = x). For example, any value is a fixed point of the identity function, (\ x . x). If f is recursive, we can represent it as f = fix F where F is some higher-order function and fix F = F (fix F). The standard denotational semantics of f is then given by the least fixed point of F. This is the least upper bound of the infinite sequence (the ascending Kleene chain) obtained by repeatedly applying F to the totally undefined value, bottom. I.e. fix F = LUB {bottom, F bottom, F (F bottom), ...}. The least fixed point is guaranteed to exist for a continuous function over a cpo.
- letter of request — a letter sent from a court to a foreign court requesting judicial assistance
- letters of marque — a former government document authorizing an individual to make reprisals on the subjects of an enemy nation, specif. to arm a ship and capture enemy merchant ships and cargo
- liberty of speech — freedom of speech.
- lick the boots of — to be servile, obsequious, or flattering towards
- life imprisonment — long-term prison sentence
- lifestyle disease — a disease that potentially can be prevented by changes in diet, environment, and lifestyle, such as heart disease, stroke, obesity, and osteoporosis
- line of scrimmage — an imaginary line parallel to the goal lines that passes from one sideline to the other through the point of the football closest to the goal line of each team.
- loose-leaf binder — a hard cover with metal rings inside which is used to hold loose pieces of paper
- lord of the flies — a novel (1954) by William Golding.
- luminous efficacy — the quotient of the luminous flux of a radiation and its corresponding radiant flux
- magnesium sulfate — a white, water-soluble salt, MgSO 4 , used chiefly in medicine and in the processing of leather and textiles.
- make light of sth — If you make light of something, you treat it as though it is not serious or important, when in fact it is.
- make sense of sth — When you make sense of something, you succeed in understanding it.
- make something of — to find a use for
- make the dust fly — earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.
- make the worst of — to be pessimistic about
- man's best friend — a dog, especially as a pet.
- manganese sulfate — a pink, water-soluble, usually tetrahydrate salt, MnSO 4 ⋅4H 2 O, used chiefly in fertilizers, paints, and varnishes.
- manifest function — any function of an institution or other social phenomenon that is planned and intentional.
- mare fecunditatis — (Sea of Fertility) a dark plain in the fourth quadrant and extending into the first quadrant of the face of the moon: about 160,000 sq. mi. (415,000 sq. km).
- mark of the beast — the mark put on the forehead of those who worship the beast, the symbol of opposition to God.
- master of science — a master's degree given usually in a specific branch of the natural sciences, mathematics, or technology.
- maurice of nassau — Prince of Orange 1567-1625; Du. statesman & military leader
- memoised function — memo function
- mend one's fences — a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
- metallofullerenes — Plural form of metallofullerene.
- methyltransferase — any of a class of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of methyl groups from one molecule to another.
- mexican stand-off — A Mexican stand-off is a situation in which neither of the people or groups in a conflict or dispute can win and neither wants to give in first.
- microsoft network — The Microsoft Network
- microsoft project — (product) A Microsoft Windows program offering various project management tools.
- mill on the floss — a novel (1860) by George Eliot.
- minister of state — (in the British Parliament) a minister, usually below cabinet rank, appointed to assist a senior minister with heavy responsibilities
- misidentification — to identify incorrectly.
- mode of transport — means of travel
- motion of censure — a motion by opposition parties criticizing the government
- neck of the woods — the part of the body of an animal or human being that connects the head and the trunk.
- negative transfer — the obstruction of or interference with new learning because of previous learning, as when a U.S. tourist in England learns to drive on the left side of the road.
- neurofibromatosis — a dominantly inherited genetic disorder characterized by flat brown patches on the skin, neurofibromas of the skin and internal organs, and in some cases skeletal deformity.
- new lease on life — a contract renting land, buildings, etc., to another; a contract or instrument conveying property to another for a specified period or for a period determinable at the will of either lessor or lessee in consideration of rent or other compensation.
- nightshade family — the plant family Solanaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants, trees, shrubs, and vines having alternate, simple or pinnate leaves, conspicuous flowers, and fruit in the form of a berry or capsule, and including belladonna, eggplant, nightshade, peppers of the genus Capsicum, petunia, potato, tobacco, and tomato.
- nonteaching staff — employees within an academic or vocational environment whose jobs do not involve teaching
- northern kingfish — a croaker, Menticirrhus saxatilis, inhabiting Atlantic coastal waters of the U.S.
- northern studfish — See under studfish.
- not one's idea of — not what one regards as (hard work, a holiday, etc)
- not spare oneself — to exert oneself to the full
- nyquist frequency — (DSP) The highest frequency that can be represented in a digital signal of a specified sampling frequency. It is equal to one-half of the sampling rate. See Nyquist Theorem.
- odds-on favourite — a person, team, horse, etc that is regarded as the most likely to win a competition