19-letter words containing t, a, k, e
- paschen-back effect — a splitting of spectral lines observed when the source of a radiation is subjected to a strong magnetic field, caused when the vectors associated with the spin and orbital angular momentum exhibit individual rather than common precession.
- peak listening time — the time at which the highest numbers of audiences are listening to the radio
- phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- piggyback investing — Piggyback investing is a situation in which a broker repeats a trade on his own behalf immediately after trading for an investor, because he thinks the investor may have inside information.
- pileated woodpecker — a large, black-and-white American woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, having a prominent red crest.
- pistol-handle knife — a table knife, especially of the 18th century, having a slightly curved handle resembling the grip of a flintlock pistol.
- pocket-handkerchief — handkerchief (def 1).
- portuguese-speaking — being a speaker of Portuguese; having Portuguese as the national language
- postage and packing — the cost of packing and mailing an item bought by post
- prairie rattlesnake — a rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis viridis, of the prairies of western North America.
- presentation skills — the set of techniques and skills required successfully to present oral information to others
- puncture repair kit — set of tools for patching a bicycle tyre
- put one's back into — to devote all one's strength to (a task)
- put one's skates on — ice skate (def 1).
- quick on the uptake — You say that someone is quick on the uptake when they understand things quickly. You say that someone is slow on the uptake when they have difficulty understanding simple or obvious things.
- quick-change artist — a person adept at changing from one thing to another, as an entertainer who changes costumes quickly during a performance.
- rake over the coals — a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- reef whitetip shark — whitetip shark (def 1).
- rickettsial disease — any of several acute infectious diseases caused by ticks, mites, or body lice infected with rickettsiae. The main types include typhus, spotted fever, Q fever, trench fever, and tsutsugamushi disease
- sackcloth and ashes — a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
- saddle-billed stork — a large stork, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, of West Africa, having a white and black body and a long, red and black bill.
- saint luke's summer — a period of unusually warm weather in the autumn
- secondary picketing — the picketing by strikers of a place of work that supplies goods to or distributes goods from their employer
- sell like hot cakes — a pancake or griddlecake.
- shield-tailed snake — any of several burrowing snakes of the family Uropeltidae, of the Indian peninsula and Sri Lanka, having a tail that ends in a flat disk.
- smokestack industry — A smokestack industry is a traditional industry such as heavy engineering or manufacturing, rather than a modern industry such as electronics.
- smoking compartment — a compartment of a train where smoking is permitted
- speaking in tongues — a form of glossolalia in which a person experiencing religious ecstasy utters incomprehensible sounds that the speaker believes are a language spoken through him or her by a deity.
- st. kitts and nevis — country in the Leeward Islands of the West Indies, consisting of two islands (St. Kitts & Nevis): formerly a British colony, it became an independent state (1983) & a member of the Commonwealth: c. 101 sq mi (262 sq km); pop. 41,000; cap. Basseterre
- stakeholder pension — In Britain, a stakeholder pension is a flexible pension scheme with low charges. Both employees and the state contribute to the scheme, which is optional, and is in addition to the basic state pension.
- stanislavski method — method (def 5).
- stick in one's craw — the crop of a bird or insect.
- stick to one's last — a wooden or metal form in the shape of the human foot on which boots or shoes are shaped or repaired.
- strike a false note — to behave inappropriately
- swallow-tailed kite — an American kite, Elanoides forficatus, having black upper parts, white head and underparts, and a long, deeply forked tail.
- sweetheart neckline — a neckline on a woman's garment, as a dress, with a high back and a low-cut front with two curved edges resembling the conventionalized shape of a heart.
- switchblade (knife) — a large jackknife that snaps open when a release button on the handle is pressed
- take (the) occasion — to use the opportunity (to do something)
- take a running jump — a contemptuous expression of dismissal
- take care of sth/sb — If you take care of someone or something, you look after them and prevent them from being harmed or damaged.
- take care to do sth — If you take care to do something, you make sure that you do it.
- take evasive action — If you take evasive action, you deliberately move away from someone or something in order to avoid meeting them or being hit by them.
- take five, take ten — If someone tells you to take five or to take ten, they are telling you to have a five- or ten-minute break from what you are doing.
- take it for granted — If you take it for granted that something is the case, you believe that it is true or you accept it as normal without thinking about it.
- take it on the chin — the lower extremity of the face, below the mouth.
- take it or leave it — If you say to someone 'take it or leave it', you are telling them that they can accept something or not accept it, but that you are not prepared to discuss any other alternatives.
- take it to the wire — to compete to the bitter end to win a competition or title
- take my word for it — If you say to someone 'take my word for it', you mean that they should believe you because you are telling the truth.
- take one's cue from — If you take your cue from someone or something, you do something similar in a particular situation.