23-letter words containing s, p, e, a

sidewalk superintendent — a bystander who watches the building, demolition, repair, or other work being done at a construction site.
silicone breast implant — silicone filled bags that are implanted into a woman in order to increase the size of her breasts
slip between the cracks — to break without complete separation of parts; become fissured: The plate cracked when I dropped it, but it was still usable.
slum clearance campaign — a campaign to rehouse those people who live in a slum area, and to prepare the area for demolition and rebuilding
snap someone's head off — to cut, wound, or tear with the teeth: She bit the apple greedily. The lion bit his trainer.
social democratic party — History/Historical. a political party in Germany advocating a form of social organization based on the economic and political ideology of Karl Marx.
social security payment — a payment of social security made to an individual
sodium tripolyphosphate — a white powder, Na 5 P 3 O 1 0 , used as a water softener, sequestering agent, and food additive.
software developers kit — (jargon, product) (SDK, or "Software Development Kit") Software provided by a software vendor to allow their products to be used with those of other software vendors.
somaliland protectorate — official name of the former British Somaliland.
sparkling mineral water — Sparkling mineral water is mineral water that is slightly carbonated.
speak the same language — to communicate with understanding because of common background, values, etc
speak well/highly of sb — If you speak well of someone or speak highly of someone, you say good things about them. If you speak ill of someone, you criticize them.
specialite de la maison — the specialty of the house (used in referring to the most important dish served by a restaurant).
spigot and socket joint — a joint between two pipes using male and female parts
split-fingered fastball — a pitch, similar to the forkball but thrown with the same arm speed as a fastball, that drops suddenly as it nears the batter.
st. pierre and miquelon — two small groups of islands off the S coast of Newfoundland: an overseas territory of France; important base for fishing. 3 sq. mi. (240 sq. km). Capital: St. Pierre.
staggered directorships — a defence against unwelcome takeover bids in which a company resolves that its directors should serve staggered terms of office and that no director can be removed from office without just cause, thus preventing a bidder from controlling the board for some years
stand up and be counted — express opinion
statutory maternity pay — the maternity pay a woman is legally entitled to
stereospecific catalyst — a catalyst for stereospecific chemical reactions
structural unemployment — unemployment caused by basic changes in the overall economy, as in demographics, technology, or industrial organization.
sub specie aeternitatis — from the standpoint of eternity; from a universal perspective
supplementary insurance — Supplementary insurance is insurance coverage that is purchased in addition to an insurance policy to provide additional benefits or coverage.
suprasegmental phonemes — phonemes or features of speech, as pitch, stress, and juncture, that may extend over and modify series of segmental phonemes
sustainable development — supporting economy via renewable resources
talk/speak of the devil — People say speak of the devil, or in British English talk of the devil, if someone they have just been talking about appears unexpectedly.
the chamber of deputies — the lower legislative assembly in some parliaments
the department of state — the United States federal department concerned with foreign policy
the scottish parliament — the devolved national legislature of Scotland, located in Edinburgh
the teaching profession — the profession of a teacher
thompson submachine gun — a portable, .45-caliber, automatic weapon designed to be fired from the shoulder or hip.
to call a spade a spade — If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak clearly and directly about things, even embarrassing or unpleasant things.
to clap eyes on someone — To clap eyes on someone or something, or set or lay eyes on them, means to see them.
to get/put sb's back up — If someone or something puts your back up or gets your back up, they annoy you.
to keep a straight face — If you manage to keep a straight face, you manage to look serious, although you want to laugh.
to keep someone company — If you keep someone company, you spend time with them and stop them feeling lonely or bored.
to keep your nose clean — If you keep your nose clean, you behave well and stay out of trouble.
to pass the time of day — If you pass the time of day with someone, you have a short friendly conversation with them.
to pay through the nose — If you say that you paid through the nose for something, you are emphasizing that you had to pay what you consider too high a price for it.
to play for high stakes — to gamble on something very important
to send someone packing — If you send someone packing, you make them go away.
to wipe the slate clean — If you wipe the slate clean, you decide to forget previous mistakes, failures, or debts and to start again.
trans-new guinea phylum — the largest grouping of the non-Austronesian languages of Papua and New Guinea and the surrounding regions
transplantation antigen — a histocompatibility antigen identified by its effect on the rejection of transplanted cells or tissues.
transverse presentation — presentation in which the fetus is turned with its long axis across the mouth of the uterus, at right angles to the axis of the birth canal.
triple expansion engine — (formerly) a steam engine in which the steam is expanded in three stages in cylinders of increasing diameter to accommodate the increasing volume of the steam
unincorporated business — a privately owned business, often owned by one person who has unlimited liability as the business is not legally registered as a company
unipress software, inc. — (company) A developer and distributor of Unix software. They produce PC-UNIX connectivity software, development tools and applications and provide technical support and maintenance, porting services, training and consulting.
variable contrast paper — printing paper in which the contrast of the image is controlled by the color of the printing light.

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