19-letter words containing s, h, e, f
- one of those things — something that cannot be avoided, helped, changed, etc.
- open the floodgates — If events open the floodgates to something, they make it possible for that thing to happen much more often or much more seriously than before.
- out of the question — a sentence in an interrogative form, addressed to someone in order to get information in reply.
- own flesh and blood — If you say that someone is your own flesh and blood, you are emphasizing that they are a member of your family.
- paraphase amplifier — an amplifier that produces a push-pull output from a single input.
- parting of the ways — When there is a parting of the ways, two or more people or groups of people stop working together or travelling together.
- 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.
- phacoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- pillars of hercules — the two promontories at the E end of the Strait of Gibraltar: the Rock of Gibraltar on the European side and the Jebel Musa on the African side; according to legend, formed by Hercules
- pistol-handle knife — a table knife, especially of the 18th century, having a slightly curved handle resembling the grip of a flintlock pistol.
- play footsie (with) — to touch feet or rub knees (with) in a caressing way, as under the table
- professional school — a postgraduate school or college which trains students for a particular profession
- pugwash conferences — international peace conferences of scientists held regularly to discuss world problems: Nobel peace prize 1995 awarded to Joseph Rotblat (1908–2005) , one of the founders of the conferences, secretary-general (1957–73), and president (1988–97)
- put a figure on sth — When you put a figure on an amount, you say exactly how much it is.
- queensland lungfish — a lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, reaching a length of six feet: occurs in Queensland rivers but introduced elsewhere
- reef whitetip shark — whitetip shark (def 1).
- reflux oesophagitis — inflammation of the gullet caused by regurgitation of stomach acids, producing heartburn: may be associated with a hiatus hernia
- refreshable display — braille display
- research fellowship — the position or office of someone who conducts academic research into a subject at a university, etc
- saccharofarinaceous — pertaining to or consisting of sugar and meal.
- scare the pants off — to scare extremely
- school of the squad — an institution where instruction is given, especially to persons under college age: The children are at school.
- scratch the surface — examine superficially
- seven hills of rome — the hills on which the ancient city of Rome was built: the Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Caelian, Aventine, Esquiline, and Viminal
- sharp-focus realism — photorealism.
- sheet flood erosion — Geology. erosion by sheets of running water, rather than by streams.
- shopping facilities — shops or other retail services
- shortness of breath — respiratory difficulty
- sodium hydrosulfite — a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, Na 2 S 2 O 4 , used as a reducing agent, especially in dyeing, and as a bleach.
- soft-shelled turtle — any of numerous aquatic turtles of the family Trionychidae, inhabiting North America, Asia, and Africa, having the shell covered with flexible, leathery skin instead of horny plates.
- son-of-a-bitch stew — (in the Old West) a stew often prepared by chuck-wagon cooks for working cowboys, containing tripe and often also the heart, liver, brains, kidney, etc., of a slaughtered steer.
- south pacific ocean — the part of the Pacific Ocean extending S from the Equator to the Antarctic continent.
- soviet of the union — the legislature of the former Soviet Union and its successor states, consisting of an upper house (Soviet of the Union or Council of the Union) whose delegates are elected on the basis of population, and a lower house (Soviet of Nationalities or Council of Nationalities) whose delegates are elected to represent the various nationalities.
- spanish west africa — a former overseas territory of Spain in NW Africa: divided in 1958 into the overseas provinces of Ifni and Spanish Sahara
- spare a thought for — If you spare a thought for an unfortunate person, you make an effort to think sympathetically about them and their bad luck.
- specific characters — the persistent features that distinguish one species from all others
- sphere of influence — any area in which one nation wields dominant power over another or others.
- spread oneself thin — to draw, stretch, or open out, especially over a flat surface, as something rolled or folded (often followed by out).
- store refurbishment — Store refurbishment happens when a store needs to be redecorated, modernized or the layout changed. The store will often be closed to customers during this time.
- straightforwardness — going or directed straight ahead: a straightforward gaze.
- strike off the roll — to expel from membership
- sulfureted hydrogen — hydrogen sulfide.
- superhigh frequency — any frequency between 3000 and 30,000 megahertz. Abbreviation: SHF.
- surface effect ship — a large, ship-size air cushion vehicle operated over water.
- switchblade (knife) — a large jackknife that snaps open when a release button on the handle is pressed
- take care of sth/sb — If you take care of someone or something, you look after them and prevent them from being harmed or damaged.
- taming of the shrew — a comedy (1594?) by Shakespeare.
- teaching fellowship — a fellowship providing a student in a graduate school with free tuition and expenses and stipulating that the student assume some teaching duties in return.
- the best of friends — If two people are the best of friends, they are close friends, especially when they have had a disagreement or fight in the past.