22-letter words containing u, a

fast fourier transform — (algorithm) (FFT) An algorithm for computing the Fourier transform of a set of discrete data values. Given a finite set of data points, for example a periodic sampling taken from a real-world signal, the FFT expresses the data in terms of its component frequencies. It also solves the essentially identical inverse problem of reconstructing a signal from the frequency data. The FFT is a mainstay of numerical analysis. Gilbert Strang described it as "the most important algorithm of our generation". The FFT also provides the asymptotically fastest known algorithm for multiplying two polynomials. Versions of the algorithm (in C and Fortran) can be found on-line from the GAMS server here.
federal crop insurance — insurance against the failure of certain crops provided to farmers and producers by the Federal Government
federal district court — district court (def 2).
financial underwriting — Financial underwriting is the process of assessing whether the proposed sum insured and product are reasonable when considering the possible financial loss to the client.
finite state automaton — Finite State Machine
flocculent precipitate — a woolly-looking precipitate, as aluminum hydroxide formed by the addition of ammonia to an aluminum-salt solution.
foot-and-mouth disease — an acute, contagious, febrile disease of cattle, hogs, sheep, and other hoofed animals, caused by any of various rhinoviruses and characterized by vesicular eruptions in the mouth and about the hoofs, teats, and udder.
for a laugh/for laughs — If you do something for a laugh or for laughs, you do it as a joke or for fun.
forced place insurance — Forced place insurance is insurance taken out by a bank or creditor on an uninsured debtor's behalf on a property that is being used as collateral.
four-hundred-day clock — a clock that needs to be wound once a year, having the works exposed under a glass dome and utilizing a torsion pendulum.
friar minor conventual — a friar belonging to a branch of the Franciscan order that separated from the Observants in the 15th century, and that observes a modification of the rule of St. Francis. Also called Conventual. Compare Friar Minor, capuchin (def 4).
front of house manager — A front of house manager is responsible for the reception and reservations at a hotel.
full english breakfast — morning meal of eggs, bacon, etc.
full pelt/at full pelt — If you do something full pelt or at full pelt, you do it very quickly indeed.
functional programming — (programming) (FP) A program in a functional language consists of a set of (possibly recursive) function definitions and an expression whose value is output as the program's result. Functional languages are one kind of declarative language. They are mostly based on the typed lambda-calculus with constants. There are no side-effects to expression evaluation so an expression, e.g. a function applied to certain arguments, will always evaluate to the same value (if its evaluation terminates). Furthermore, an expression can always be replaced by its value without changing the overall result (referential transparency). The order of evaluation of subexpressions is determined by the language's evaluation strategy. In a strict (call-by-value) language this will specify that arguments are evaluated before applying a function whereas in a non-strict (call-by-name) language arguments are passed unevaluated. Programs written in a functional language are generally compact and elegant, but have tended, until recently, to run slowly and require a lot of memory. Examples of purely functional languages are Clean, FP, Haskell, Hope, Joy, LML, Miranda, and SML. Many other languages such as Lisp have a subset which is purely functional but also contain non-functional constructs. See also lazy evaluation, reduction.
general public licence — (spelling) It's spelled "General Public License". (In the UK, "licence" is a noun and "license" is a verb (like "advice"/"advise") but in the US both are spelled "license").
general public license — (legal) (GPL, note US spelling) The licence applied to most software from the Free Software Foundation and the GNU project and other authors who choose to use it. The licences for most software are designed to prevent users from sharing or changing it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee the freedom to share and change free software - to make sure the software is free for all its users. The GPL is designed to make sure that anyone can distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if they wish); that they receive source code or can get it if they want; that they can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that they know they can do these things. The GPL forbids anyone to deny others these rights or to ask them to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for those who distribute copies of the software or modify it. See also General Public Virus.
genitourinary medicine — the branch of medical science concerned with the study and treatment of diseases of the genital and urinary organs, esp sexually transmitted diseases
glucose tolerance test — a diagnostic procedure in which a measured amount of glucose is ingested and blood samples are taken periodically as a means of detecting diabetes mellitus.
go through one's paces — to show one's abilities, skills, etc.
gran turismo omologato — (of an automobile) certified as conforming to the specifications, as fuel capacity and engine displacement, for a class of standard automobiles (Gran Turismo) qualified to engage in various types of competitions. Abbreviation: GTO.
grand duchy of muscovy — Muscovy (def 1).
graphical display unit — an output device incorporating a cathode ray tube on which both line drawings and text can be displayed. It is usually used in conjunction with a light pen to input or reposition data
great australian bight — a wide bay in S Australia.
green around the gills — the respiratory organ of aquatic animals, as fish, that breathe oxygen dissolved in water.
gross national product — the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced in a country during one year. Abbreviation: GNP.
guanosine triphosphate — GTP.
guest services manager — A guest services manager at a hotel is responsible for the services and facilities that the hotel provides for its guests.
gulf of saint lawrence — a deep arm of the Atlantic off the E coast of Canada between Newfoundland and the mainland coasts of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
gum bichromate process — a contact printing method in which the image is formed on a coating of sensitized gum containing a suitable colored pigment and potassium or ammonium dichromate.
hague peace conference — a meeting held at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1899, that established The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration.
hammersmith and fulham — a borough of Greater London on the River Thames: established in 1965 by the amalgamation of Fulham and Hammersmith. Pop: 174 200 (2003 est). Area: 16 sq km (6 sq miles)
hang out one's shingle — a thin piece of wood, slate, metal, asbestos, or the like, usually oblong, laid in overlapping rows to cover the roofs and walls of buildings.
have a bun in the oven — to be pregnant
have all one's buttons — a small disk, knob, or the like for sewing or otherwise attaching to an article, as of clothing, serving as a fastening when passed through a buttonhole or loop.
heart is in your mouth — If your heart is in your mouth, you feel very excited, worried, or frightened.
hermann-mauguin symbol — a notation for indicating a particular point group.
highway contract route — a route for carrying mail over the highway between designated points, given on contract to a private carrier and often requiring, in rural areas, delivery to home mailboxes. Abbreviation: HCR.
historical linguistics — the study of changes in a language or group of languages over a period of time.
hoof-and-mouth disease — foot-and-mouth disease.
house of bernarda alba — a drama (1941) by Federico García Lorca.
hubble space telescope — U.S. Aerospace. a 7.9-foot (2.4-meter) optical telescope designed for use in orbit around the earth.
hue, saturation, value — (graphics) (HSV) A colour model that describes colours in terms of hue (or "tint"), saturation (or "shade") and value (or "tone" or "luminance").
human interface device — (hardware) (HID) Any device to interact directly with humans (mostly input) like keyboard, mouse, joystick, or graphics tablet.
hundreds and thousands — tiny beads of brightly coloured sugar, used in decorating cakes, sweets, etc
i don't know about you — You can say 'I don't know about you' to indicate that you are going to give your own opinion about something and you want to find out if someone else feels the same.
in one's birthday suit — naked; nude
in your wildest dreams — If you say that you could not imagine a particular thing in your wildest dreams, you are emphasizing that you think it is extremely strange or unlikely.
inconsistent equations — two or more equations impossible to satisfy by any one set of values for the variables (Ex.: x + y = 1 and x + y = 2)
industrial archaeology — the study of past industrial machines, works, etc

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