20-letter words containing s, h, o, u

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 sb their due — You can say 'to give him his due', or 'giving him his due' when you are admitting that there are some good things about someone, even though there are things that you do not like about them.
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 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 put it to sb that — If you put it to someone that something is true, you suggest that it is true, especially when you think that they will be unwilling to admit this.
to put sth to rights — to make something consistent with justice, correctness, or orderly arrangement
to use shock tactics — to attempt to influence people by shocking them
to waste your breath — If someone says you are wasting your breath, they mean that the person you are talking to will not take any notice and so there is no point saying anything to them.
to wear the trousers — If one person in a couple, especially the woman, wears the pants, or in British English wears the trousers, they are the one who makes all the decisions.
to work your way swh — If you work your way somewhere, you move or progress there slowly, and with a lot of effort or work.
tomb of the unknowns — See under Unknown Soldier.
toothbrush moustache — a short narrow moustache, resembling the filaments of a toothbrush
tortoiseshell turtle — hawksbill turtle.
trumpet call for sth — a signal for something
try conclusions with — to engage in an argument or contest with
turn an honest penny — to earn money fairly and honestly
twiddle one's thumbs — to turn about or play with lightly or idly, especially with the fingers; twirl.
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.
under/below strength — If an army or team is under strength or below strength, it does not have all the members that it needs or usually has.
university of durham — (body, education) A busy research and teaching community in the historic cathedral city of Durham, UK (population 61000). Its work covers key branches of science and technology and traditional areas of scholarship. Durham graduates are in great demand among employers and the University helps to attract investment into the region. It provides training, short courses, and expertise for industry. Through its cultural events, conferences, tourist business and as a major employer, the University contributes in a wide social and economic sense to the community. Founded in 1832, the University developed in Durham and Newcastle until 1963 when the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne came into being. Durham is a collegiate body, with 14 Colleges or Societies which are a social and domestic focus for students. In 1992, the Universities of Durham and Teesside launched University College, Stockton-on-Tees, which has 190 students in the first year.
university of hawaii — (body, education) A University spread over 10 campuses on 4 islands throughout the state. See also Aloha, Aloha Net.
viscount northcliffe — Viscount, Alfred Charles William Harmsworth.
voluntary euthanasia — the act of killing someone painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness, with their consent
warehouse facilities — places for storing goods
western mountain ash — a mountain ash, Sorbus sitchensis, of western North America.
white bush (scallop) — a variety of summer squash having a saucer-shaped white fruit, scalloped around the edges
whole-life insurance — a type of insurance with a savings element that is guaranteed to pay out on death provided premiums have been paid as required by the policy
wilson cloud chamber — cloud chamber.
with one's eyes shut — with great ease, esp as a result of thorough familiarity
worcestershire sauce — a sharp sauce made with soy, vinegar, spices, etc., originally made in Worcester, England.
your marching orders — If you give someone their marching orders, you tell them that you no longer want or need them, for example as your employee or as your lover.
yu-shiang whole fish — /yoo-shyang hohl fish/ An obsolete name for the Greek character gamma (extended SAIL ASCII code 9, Unicode glyph 0x0263) which with a loop in its tail looks like a little fish swimming down the page. The term is actually the name of a Chinese dish in which a fish is cooked whole (not parsed) and covered with Yu-Shiang (or Yu-Hsiang) sauce. Used primarily by people on the MIT LISP Machine, which could display this character on the screen. Tends to elicit incredulity from people who hear about it second-hand.

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

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

Tell us why?