15-letter words containing u, n, i, f, e
- service uniform — a uniform for routine duties and service, as distinguished from work, dress, or full-dress uniforms.
- single-cut file — a file with teeth in one direction only: used for filing soft material
- 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.
- spotted sunfish — a sunfish, Lepomis punctatus, inhabiting streams from South Carolina to Florida, having the body marked with longitudinal rows of spots.
- stannic sulfide — a yellowish or brownish, water-insoluble powder, SnS 2 , usually used suspended in lacquer or varnish for gilding and bronzing metals, wood, paper, etc.; mosaic gold.
- subprofessional — being below professional standards: subprofessional health care.
- sulfiting agent — sulfite (def 2).
- 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
- superefficiency — the quality or condition of being superefficient
- superficialness — being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.
- 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.
- suspension file — a folder for documents that has protruding ends that can be hung over rails for storage
- sylvian fissure — lateral fissure.
- tentaculiferous — having tentacles
- tetrafunctional — pertaining to molecules or groups that can bond at four sites.
- the crucifixion — the crucifying of Christ at Calvary, regarded by Christians as the culminating redemptive act of his ministry
- theft insurance — insurance against loss or damage of property resulting from theft.
- thermodiffusion — thermal diffusion.
- trifluoperazine — a compound, C 21 H 24 F 3 N 3 S, used as an antipsychotic.
- trout fisherman — a fisherman who catches trout
- ultracentrifuge — a high-speed centrifuge for subjecting sols or solutions to forces many times that of gravity and producing concentration differences depending on the weight of the micelle or molecule.
- under the knife — an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
- underfulfilling — falling short of satisfactory
- undress uniform — a uniform worn on other than formal occasions.
- unfair practice — unfair competition.
- unfamiliarities — not familiar; not acquainted with or conversant about: to be unfamiliar with a subject.
- unforgivingness — not disposed to forgive or show mercy; unrelenting.
- unfossiliferous — (of sediment, clay, rock, etc) not containing fossils
- uninformatively — in an uninformative manner
- university fees — charges made by a university for the administering of a course of study or an examination
- unsatisfiedness — the state of being unsatisfied
- unselfconscious — not self-conscious; without affectation or pretense: an unselfconscious manner.
- unverifiability — the quality or state of being unverifiable
- van diemen gulf — an inlet of the Timor Sea in N Australia, in the Northern Territory
- vector function — a function that assigns a vector to each point in a given set.
- video frequency — transmission frequency of the television picture.
- viewing figures — the number of people watching a television programme
- winter flounder — any of various popular food flatfishes, as Parophrys vetulus of the Pacific (English sole) and Pseudopleuronectes americanus of the Atlantic (winter flounder or blackback flounder)
- wish fulfilment — (in Freudian psychology) any successful attempt to fulfil a wish stemming from the unconscious mind, whether in fact, in fantasy, or by such disguised means as sublimation