28-letter words containing t, h, e, m
- ousterhout's false dichotomy — Ousterhout's dichotomy
- phenylmethylcarbinyl acetate — methylphenylcarbinyl acetate.
- positron emission tomography — the process of producing a PET scan.
- read the riot act to someone — to warn or reprimand someone severely
- rise/come back from the dead — If you say that someone or something rises or comes back from the dead, you mean that they become active or successful again after being inactive for a while.
- second law of thermodynamics — any of three principles variously stated in equivalent forms, being the principle that the change of energy of a thermodynamic system is equal to the heat transferred minus the work done (first law of thermodynamics) the principle that no cyclic process is possible in which heat is absorbed from a reservoir at a single temperature and converted completely into mechanical work (second law of thermodynamics) and the principle that it is impossible to reduce the temperature of a system to absolute zero in a finite number of operations (third law of thermodynamics)
- shared-appreciation mortgage — a type of mortgage that carries a smaller down payment or lower interest rate than usual in return for the lender's sharing in the appreciation of the property at some future date, as at the time of its sale. Abbreviation: SAM.
- shut one's eyes to something — If you say that someone shuts their eyes to something, you mean that they deliberately ignore something which they should deal with.
- smooth endoplasmic reticulum — a network of tubular membranes within the cytoplasm of the cell, occurring either with a smooth surface (smooth endoplasmic reticulum) or studded with ribosomes (rough endoplasmic reticulum) involved in the transport of materials.
- sudden infant death syndrome — death from the sudden cessation of breathing (apnea) of a seemingly healthy infant, almost always during sleep, sometimes traceable to a chronic oxygen deficiency. Abbreviation: SIDS.
- systemic lupus erythematosus — an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the connective tissues, occurring mainly among middle-aged women, chiefly characterized by skin eruptions, joint pain, recurrent pleurisy, and kidney disease. Abbreviation: SLE.
- systems network architecture — (networking) (SNA) IBM's proprietary high level networking protocol standard, used by IBM and IBM compatible mainframes. Also referred to as "Blue Glue", SNA is a bletcherous protocol once widely favoured at commercial shops. The official IBM definition is "that which binds blue boxes together." It may be relevant that Blue Glue is also a 3M product commonly used to hold down carpets in dinosaur pens.
- take your eyes off something — When you take your eyes off the thing you have been watching or looking at, you stop looking at it.
- the medical research council — a government body that uses public funds to finance research in medicine
- the world owes them a living — If you say that someone thinks that the world owes them a living, you are criticizing them because they think it is their right to have a comfortable life without having to make any effort at all.
- theophylline ethylenediamine — aminophylline.
- throw dust in someone's eyes — earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.
- to be no let-up in something — if there is no let-up in something, usually something unpleasant, there is no reduction in the intensity of it
- to be on your home territory — to be in a situation in which one is at ease
- to come to a screeching halt — (of a motor vehicle) to stop suddenly, causing the brakes or tyres to produce a high-pitched sound
- to cut something to the bone — If something such as costs are cut to the bone, they are reduced to the minimum possible.
- to give somebody a thick ear — to hit sb on the ear or head
- to know something for a fact — If you say that you know something for a fact, you are emphasizing that you are completely certain that it is true.
- to play into someone's hands — If you play into someone's hands, you do something which they want you to do and which places you in their power.
- to ruffle someone's feathers — To ruffle someone's feathers means to cause them to become very angry, nervous, or upset.
- to take something lying down — If someone takes an insult or attack lying down, they accept it without protesting.
- to throw the book at someone — If someone in authority throws the book at someone who has committed an offence, they give the offender the greatest punishment that they are allowed to.
- turn the screw(s) on someone — If you turn or tighten the screw on someone, you increase the pressure which is already on them, for example by using threats, in order to force them to do a particular thing.
- wake up and smell the coffee — to face up to reality, especially in an unpleasant situation
- you have the advantage of me — you know me but I do not know you
- zeroth law of thermodynamics — the principle that any two systems in thermal equilibrium with a third system are in thermal equilibrium with each other. Compare law of thermodynamics (def 2).