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15-letter words containing s, p, u, n

  • san luis potosi — a state in central Mexico. 24,415 sq. mi. (63,235 sq. km).
  • sauce espagnole — brown sauce.
  • schopenhauerian — Arthur [ahr-too r] /ˈɑr tʊər/ (Show IPA), 1788–1860, German philosopher.
  • schopenhauerism — the philosophy of Schopenhauer, who taught that only the cessation of desire can solve the problems arising from the universal impulse of the will to live.
  • scpi consortium — (body)   A body established to promote Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments. Address: 8380 Hercules Drive, Suite P3, La Mesa, CA 91942, USA.
  • second republic — the republic established in France in 1848 and replaced by the Second Empire in 1852.
  • secondary group — a group of people with whom one's contacts are detached and impersonal.
  • self-persuasion — the act of persuading or seeking to persuade.
  • self-production — produced by oneself or itself.
  • self-propulsion — propulsion by a vehicle's own engine, motor, or the like.
  • self-punishment — the act of punishing.
  • self-supporting — the supporting or maintaining of oneself or itself without reliance on outside aid.
  • serendipitously — come upon or found by accident; fortuitous: serendipitous scientific discoveries.
  • shoulder weapon — a firearm that is fired while being held in the hands with the butt of the weapon braced against the shoulder.
  • simple equation — linear equation
  • simple pendulum — a hypothetical apparatus consisting of a point mass suspended from a weightless, frictionless thread whose length is constant, the motion of the body about the string being periodic and, if the angle of deviation from the original equilibrium position is small, representing simple harmonic motion (distinguished from physical pendulum).
  • sinai peninsula — broad peninsula in NE Egypt, between the Gulf of Suez & the Gulf of Aqaba
  • situs picketing — common situs picketing.
  • sleeping beauty — a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
  • sleeve coupling — a cylinder joining the ends of two lengths of shafting or pipe.
  • slumpflationary — of or relating to slumpflation
  • smoke pollution — pollution caused by fuels, etc, that produce smoke when burned
  • snafu principle — /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [WWII Army acronym for "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up"] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." - a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good. After the subsequent disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired.
  • snapping turtle — either of two large, edible, freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae, of North and Central America, having a large head and powerful hooked jaws, especially the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
  • snubfin dolphin — Australian dolphin with a small dorsal fin
  • sostenuto pedal — a pedal on a grand piano that raises the dampers, allowing the tone to be sustained for those strings struck at the time the pedal is depressed.
  • southern paiute — See under Paiute (def 2).
  • souvanna phouma — Prince, 1901–84, Laotian statesman: premier 1951–54, 1956–58, 1960, and 1962–75.
  • spanish customs — irregular practices among a group of workers to gain increased financial allowances, reduced working hours, etc
  • spawning ground — a place where fish deposit their eggs for fertilization
  • special student — a student who is not seeking a degree but enrols in a course, esp to gain academic credits
  • spinach-rhubarb — an Ethiopian plant, Rumex abyssinicus, of the buckwheat family, having leaves that are sometimes used as spinach and leafstalks sometimes used as rhubarb.
  • spinous process — a spinelike process of a bone, especially the dorsal projection from the center of the arch of a vertebra.
  • spiny cocklebur — a cocklebur, Xanthium spinosum, introduced into North America from Europe.
  • splanchnopleure — the double layer formed by the association of the lower layer of the lateral plate of mesoderm with the underlying entoderm, which develops into the embryonic viscera.
  • spontaneousness — coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
  • spotted sunfish — a sunfish, Lepomis punctatus, inhabiting streams from South Carolina to Florida, having the body marked with longitudinal rows of spots.
  • stamping ground — a habitual or favorite haunt.
  • stand-up comedy — telling jokes to an audience
  • steamed pudding — a traditional pudding containing fat, sugar, eggs, flour, and other ingredients, which is steamed
  • stomping ground — a habitual or favorite haunt.
  • sub-corporation — an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. See also municipal corporation, public corporation.
  • subject pronoun — pronoun in nominative case
  • sublapsarianism — infralapsarianism.
  • suboptimization — a situation which is less than optimal
  • subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
  • sulphinpyrazone — a uricosuric drug with molecular formula C23H20N2O3S, used in the treatment of chronic gout
  • sulphur springs — a town in NE Texas.
  • super-efficient — performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: a reliable, efficient assistant.
  • superabundantly — very or too abundantly
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