14-letter words containing s, k, a, n, e
- scratch monkey — (humour) As in "Before testing or reconfiguring, always mount a scratch monkey", a proverb used to advise caution when dealing with irreplaceable data or devices. Used to refer to any scratch volume hooked to a computer during any risky operation as a replacement for some precious resource or data that might otherwise get trashed. This term preserves the memory of Mabel, the Swimming Wonder Monkey, star of a biological research program at the University of Toronto. Mabel was not (so the legend goes) your ordinary monkey; the university had spent years teaching her how to swim, breathing through a regulator, in order to study the effects of different gas mixtures on her physiology. Mabel suffered an untimely demise one day when a DEC engineer troubleshooting a crash on the program's VAX inadvertently interfered with some custom hardware that was wired to Mabel. It is reported that, after calming down an understandably irate customer sufficiently to ascertain the facts of the matter, a DEC troubleshooter called up the field circus manager responsible and asked him sweetly, "Can you swim?" Not all the consequences to humans were so amusing; the sysop of the machine in question was nearly thrown in jail at the behest of certain clueless droids at the local "humane" society. The moral is clear: When in doubt, always mount a scratch monkey. A corespondent adds: The details you give are somewhat consistent with the version I recall from the Digital "War Stories" notesfile, but the name "Mabel" and the swimming bit were not mentioned, IIRC. Also, there's a very detailed account that claims that three monkies died in the incident, not just one. I believe Eric Postpischil wrote the original story at DEC, so his coming back with a different version leads me to wonder whether there ever was a real Scratch Monkey incident.
- screen blanker — screen saver
- sergeant baker — a large brightly-coloured fish of the genus Latropiscis, found in temperate reef waters of Australasia
- serial killing — multiple killings or murders carried out by the same person or persons
- shakespeareana — collected writings or items relating to Shakespeare
- shark-infested — (of a body of water) known to contain large numbers of sharks, and therefore considered to be dangerous
- shooting brake — station wagon.
- shrink-wrapped — A shrink-wrapped product is sold in a tight covering of thin plastic.
- siberian husky — one of a Siberian breed of medium-size dogs having a thick, soft coat, raised originally as sled dogs.
- sick and tired — afflicted with ill health or disease; ailing.
- silky anteater — an arboreal, tropical American anteater, Cyclopes didactylus, about the size of a rat, having a prehensile tail, glossy, golden fur, and two toes on each forelimb.
- skeleton draft — a basic or minimum draft or outline
- skeleton staff — the minimum staff needed by a company during a time where most staff do not normally work, such as a holiday, weekend, etc
- skin and bones — a condition or state of extreme thinness, usually the result of malnutrition; emaciation: Anorexia had reduced her to skin and bones.
- smoking jacket — a loose-fitting jacket for men, often of a heavy fabric and trimmed with braid, worn indoors, especially as a lounging jacket.
- snake mackerel — an elongate, deep-sea fish, Gempylus serpens, inhabiting tropical and temperate seas, having jutting jaws and strong teeth.
- snowflake baby — a baby born following the transfer of a surplus embryo produced during the in-vitro fertilization of one woman to the womb of another woman who was not a cell donor
- social drinker — a person who drinks alcoholic beverages usually in the company of others and is in control of his or her drinking.
- social network — a network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts: Strong social networks can encourage healthy behaviors.
- sockeye salmon — an important food fish, Oncorhynchus nerka, inhabiting the North Pacific.
- sonderkommando — a group of prisoners assigned to collect belongings and dispose of the bodies of other prisoners who had died or been killed.
- space sickness — a complex of symptoms including nausea, lethargy, headache, and sweating, occurring among astronauts under conditions of weightlessness.
- sparkling wine — a wine that is naturally carbonated by a second fermentation.
- speaking clock — a telephone service that gives a precise verbal statement of the correct time
- speaking terms — if you are on speaking terms with someone, you are quite friendly with them and often talk to them
- speaking voice — a person's normal voice in which they speak
- spike lavender — a lavender, Lavandula latifolia, having spikes of pale-purple flowers, and yielding an oil used in painting.
- stalking horse — If you describe a person or thing as a stalking horse, you mean that it is being used to obtain a temporary advantage so that someone can get what they really want.
- stalking-horse — a horse, or a figure of a horse, behind which a hunter hides in stalking game.
- stay-in strike — sit-down strike.
- steam cracking — Steam cracking is the main method of breaking down large molecules of hydrocarbons, in which a gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon is diluted with steam and then heated.
- sticking place — Also called sticking point. the place or point at which something stops and holds firm.
- stinking cedar — an evergreen tree, Torreya taxifolia, of the yew family, native to Florida, having rank-smelling foliage and dark-green, egg-shaped fruit.
- stock exchange — a building or place where stocks and other securities are bought and sold.
- stock in trade — the requisites for carrying on a business, especially goods kept on hand for sale in a store.
- stock transfer — Stock transfer is the act of moving goods from one part of the distribution chain to another.
- stock watering — the creation of more new shares in a company than is justified by its assets
- stock-in-trade — items used in performing a job
- stockade fence — a fence of closely fitted vertical boards with pointed tops.
- stocking frame — a type of knitting machine
- strikebreaking — action directed at breaking up a strike of workers.
- take in stride — to walk with long steps, as with vigor, haste, impatience, or arrogance.
- take one's way — to go on a journey; travel
- take soundings — to try to find out people's opinions on a subject
- take the stand — to sit (or stand) in the designated place in a courtroom and give testimony
- tank destroyer — a high-speed, self-propelled, armored combat vehicle with antitank cannon.
- test marketing — to offer (a new product) for sale, usually in a limited area, in order to ascertain and evaluate consumer response.
- to break ranks — If you say that a member of a group or organization breaks ranks, you mean that they disobey the instructions of their group or organization.
- to close ranks — If you say that the members of a group close ranks, you mean that they are supporting each other only because their group is being criticized.
- to shake hands — If you shake hands with someone, you take their right hand in your own for a few moments, often moving it up and down slightly, when you are saying hello or goodbye to them, congratulating them, or agreeing on something. You can also say that two people shake hands.