15-letter words containing u, n, c, r, s
- sesquicentenary — a hundred and fiftieth anniversary
- seven-card stud — a variety of poker in which each player is dealt one card face down in each of the first two rounds, one card face up in each of the next four rounds, and one card face down in the last round, each of the last five rounds being followed by a betting interval. Compare stud poker (def 1).
- silicone rubber — any of the synthetic rubbers made from silicone elastomers.
- single currency — a currency that is common to different countries
- 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.
- sound recordist — recordist.
- sounding rocket — a rocket equipped with instruments for making meteorological observations in the upper atmosphere.
- source document — a document that has been or will be transcribed to a word processor or to the memory bank of a computer
- source language — the language in which a text appears that is to be translated into another language. Compare target language (def 1).
- southern gothic — a literary genre depicting life in the southern US and featuring grotesque themes and imagery
- 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.
- standard clause — a clause which is inserted as standard into certain types of contracts or agreements
- steering column — the shaft that connects the steering wheel to the steering gear assembly of an automotive vehicle.
- storm insurance — insurance cover against damage caused by windstorms
- structural gene — cistron.
- structural iron — iron shaped for use in construction.
- student teacher — a student who is studying to be a teacher and who, as part of the training, observes classroom instruction or does closely supervised teaching in an elementary or secondary school.
- 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.
- subcommissioner — a member of a subcommission
- subcontraoctave — the octave below the contraoctave, which is three octaves below the middle C octave on a standard keyboard
- subject pronoun — pronoun in nominative case
- subject-raising — a rule that moves the subject of a complement clause into the clause in which it is embedded, as in the derivation of He is likely to be late from It is likely that he will be late
- subsidiary coin — a coin, especially one made of silver, having a value less than that of the monetary unit.
- subtrochanteric — Anatomy. either of two knobs at the top of the femur, the greater on the outside and the lesser on the inside, serving for the attachment of muscles between the thigh and pelvis.
- sugarcane borer — the larva of the pyralid moth, Diatraea saccharalis, a serious pest of sugarcane, corn, rice, and sorghums.
- summary offence — an offence that is triable in a magistrates' court
- sunrise service — (sometimes initial capital letters) an outdoor religious service held at dawn on Easter morning.
- 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.
- superconfidence — great or extreme confidence, overconfidence
- superconvenient — highly convenient
- superefficiency — the quality or condition of being superefficient
- superexcellence — extreme or supreme excellence; the quality of being superexcellent
- superexcitation — the act of exciting.
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- superintendence — a district or place under a superintendent.
- superintendency — a district or place under a superintendent.
- supreme council — the legislature of the former Soviet Union and its successor states, consisting of an upper house (Soviet of the Union or Council of the Union) whose delegates are elected on the basis of population, and a lower house (Soviet of Nationalities or Council of Nationalities) whose delegates are elected to represent the various nationalities.
- surface density — quantity, as of electric charge, per unit surface area.
- surface tension — the elasticlike force existing in the surface of a body, especially a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface, caused by asymmetries in the intermolecular forces between surface molecules.
- surface-ripened — (of cheese) ripened on the surface by molds or other microorganisms.
- surgical needle — a needle for suturing.
- synectics group — a group of people of varied background that meets to attempt creative solutions of problems through the unrestricted exercise of imagination and the correlation of disparate elements.
- technostructure — the group or class of technically skilled administrators, scientists, and engineers who manage and influence business, the economy, and government affairs.
- tentaculiferous — having tentacles
- theft insurance — insurance against loss or damage of property resulting from theft.
- thunderstricken — Archaic. to strike with a thunderbolt.
- title insurance — insurance protecting the owner or mortgagee of real estate from lawsuits or claims arising from a defective title.