20-letter words containing s, h, e, p

spherical coordinate — Usually, spherical coordinates. any of three coordinates used to locate a point in space by the length of its radius vector and the angles this vector makes with two perpendicular polar planes.
spiral of archimedes — a curve that is the locus of a point that moves outward with uniform speed along a vector, beginning at the origin, while the vector rotates about the origin with uniform angular velocity. Equation (in polar coordinates): r = aθ.
splice the mainbrace — to issue and partake of an extra allocation of alcoholic spirits
split the difference — the state or relation of being different; dissimilarity: There is a great difference between the two.
state highway patrol — a state's road traffic police
step into the breach — If you step into the breach, you do a job or task which someone else was supposed to do or has done in the past, because they are suddenly unable to do it.
step up to the plate — to move into batting position
switchboard operator — a person who operates an installation in a telephone exchange, office, hotel, etc, at which the interconnection of telephone lines is manually controlled
synthetic philosophy — the philosophy of Herbert Spencer, intended as a synthesis of all the sciences.
telephone subscriber — a person who subscribes to a telephone service
the (great) pyramids — the three large pyramids at Gîza, Egypt: the largest is the Pyramid of Khufu
the legal profession — the profession of law
the price of someone — what someone deserves, esp a fitting punishment
the thinking process — thought; the activity of thinking
theosophical society — a society founded by Madame Blavatsky and others, in New York in 1875, advocating a worldwide eclectic religion based largely on Brahmanic and Buddhistic teachings.
third-party software — software created by programmers or publishers independent of the manufacturer of the hardware for which it is intended.
throw up one's hands — the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb.
to disturb the peace — If someone is accused of disturbing the peace, they are accused of behaving in a noisy and offensive way in public.
to give up the ghost — If someone gives up the ghost, they stop trying to do something because they no longer believe they can do it successfully. If a machine gives up the ghost, it stops working.
to hope for the best — If you are in a difficult situation and do something and hope for the best, you hope that everything will happen in the way you want, although you know that it may not.
to overstep the mark — If someone oversteps the mark, they behave in a way that is considered unacceptable.
to pull your punches — If you say that someone does not pull their punches when they are criticizing a person or thing, you mean that they say exactly what they think, even though this might upset or offend people.
to push the boat out — If you push the boat out, you spend a lot of money on something, especially in order to celebrate.
to put an end to sth — To put an end to something means to cause it to stop.
to scrape the barrel — If you say that someone is scraping the barrel, or scraping the bottom of the barrel, you disapprove of the fact that they are using or doing something of extremely poor quality.
to show sb the ropes — to show someone how to do a particular job or task
transposition cipher — a cipher that rearranges the letters of the plain text in a different sequence.
tropospheric scatter — transmission of radio frequency signals that have been scattered from irregularities in the troposphere to locations hundreds of kilometers distant.
trumpet call for sth — a signal for something
tubing head pressure — The tubing head pressure is the pressure on the tubing, which is measured at the wellhead.
turn an honest penny — to earn money fairly and honestly
under the impression — If you are under the impression that something is the case, you believe that it is the case, usually when it is not actually the case.
under the microscope — If you say that something is under the microscope, you mean that it is being studied very closely, usually because it is believed that something is wrong with it.
upset the apple cart — to disrupt a procedure, spoil someone's plans, etc.
video graphics array — (hardware) (VGA) A display standard for IBM PCs, with 640 x 480 pixels in 16 colours and a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is also a text mode with 720 x 400 pixels. IBM technical references define the *product name* of their original VGA display board as "Video Graphics Array", in contrast to the preceding boards, the "Color Graphics Adapter" (CGA) and "Enhanced Graphics Adapter" (EGA). See also Super Video Graphics Adapter.
visually handicapped — unable to carry out normal activities because of defects of vision, including blindness
white bush (scallop) — a variety of summer squash having a saucer-shaped white fruit, scalloped around the edges
white elephant stall — a stall, usually at a fete or fundraising event, where unwanted possessions are sold
wipe the slate clean — begin afresh
with all due respect — despite my regard for you
with one's eyes open — the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.
working relationship — a relationship with a colleague, boss or employee

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page

Tell us why?