21-letter words containing u, n, p
- residual unemployment — the unemployment that remains in periods of full employment, as a result of those mentally, physically, or emotionally unfit to work
- return from interrupt — (programming) (RTI) An instruction mnemonic on many computers including the 6502 and 6800. The variant "RETI" is found among former Zilog Z80 hackers (almost nobody programs these things in assembly code anymore). The Intel 80x86 equivalent is "IRET".
- return the compliment — repay sb's kindness with a kind act
- roll up one's sleeves — to prepare oneself for work, a fight, etc
- roll with the punches — a thrusting blow, especially with the fist.
- round-necked pullover — a sweater with a plain round neckline
- sampling distribution — the distribution of a statistic based on all possible random samples that can be drawn from a given population.
- saponification number — the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to saponify one gram of a given ester, especially a glyceride.
- sb/sth reigns supreme — Someone or something that reigns supreme is the most important or powerful element in a situation or period of time.
- scalar multiplication — an operation used in the definition of a vector space in which the product of a scalar and a vector is a vector, the operation is distributive over the addition of both scalars and vectors, and is associative with multiplication of scalars
- school superintendent — an official whose job is to oversee school administration within a district
- sequoia national park — a national park in central California: giant sequoia trees. 604 sq. mi. (1565 sq. km).
- she stoops to conquer — a comedy (1773) by Oliver Goldsmith.
- shut-in pressure test — A shut-in pressure test is a pressure test which is carried out after the well has been closed off for a particular time.
- simple actor language — (language) (SAL) A minimal actor language, used for teaching in:
- sing for one's supper — to obtain something by performing a service
- single spanish burton — a tackle having a runner as well as the fall supporting the load, giving a mechanical advantage of three, neglecting friction.
- sinusoidal projection — an equal-area projection in which parallels are straight lines spaced at regular intervals, the central meridian is a straight line one-half the length of the equator, and the other meridians are curves symmetrical to the central meridian.
- snr bandwidth product — (communications) The integral of the SNR over frequency. The SNR bandwidth product is an important limit in the capacity of a communication channel.
- social inquiry report — (in Britain) a report on a person and his or her circumstances, which may be required by a court before sentencing and is made by a probation officer or a social worker from a local authority social services department
- south pacific current — an ocean current that flows E in the South Pacific Ocean parallel to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
- spin angular momentum — to make (yarn) by drawing out, twisting, and winding fibers: Pioneer women spun yarn on spinning wheels.
- spirits of turpentine — oil of turpentine.
- statutory corporation — a company or other body set up by statute
- stop loss reinsurance — Stop loss reinsurance is a form of reinsurance under which the reinsurer pays the cedant's losses in any year over a particular percentage of the earned premium.
- student participation — the extent to which students participate or involve themselves in a class, course, etc
- subjective complement — subject complement.
- subliminal perception — perception of or reaction to a stimulus that occurs without awareness or consciousness
- sun protection factor — SPF.
- supergranulation cell — one of a number of large convection cells in the photosphere and chromosphere of the sun, each having a diameter of 10,000–20,000 miles (16,000–32,000 km) and lasting longer than a day.
- supplementary benefit — (formerly) an extra amount of money that is paid to someone by the government, in addition to their normal income. Replaced by income support in 1988
- supply-side economics — a school of economic thought that emphasizes the importance to a strong economy of policies that remove impediments to supply
- surface of projection — the surface upon which an image or a set of points is projected.
- symphonie fantastique — a programmatic symphony (1830–31) in five movements by Hector Berlioz.
- temperature inversion — inversion (def 12).
- tenure track position — a position or office that carries with it the opportunity to eventually obtain tenure or the right to permanent employment
- the slough of despond — a state of extreme despondency, depression or degradation
- therapeutic community — a group-based form of therapy for mental disorders, sometimes residential
- third-party insurance — insurance that compensates for a loss to a party other than the insured for which the insured is liable.
- to be mixed up in sth — if you are mixed up in something, usually something bad, you are involved in it
- to pull someone's leg — If you are pulling someone's leg, you are teasing them by telling them something shocking or worrying as a joke.
- to put one over on sb — If someone puts one over on you, they make you do or believe something by telling you things that are not true.
- to put the wind up sb — If something or someone puts the wind up you, they frighten or worry you.
- to put you in mind of — If something puts you in mind of something else, it reminds you of it because it is similar to it or is associated with it.
- trustee in bankruptcy — a person appointed by a court to administer the property of a bankrupt.
- turn up one's nose at — to sneer at; scorn
- ulster unionist party — a Northern Irish political party advocating the maintenance of union with the UK
- uncertainty principle — the principle of quantum mechanics, formulated by Heisenberg, that the accurate measurement of one of two related, observable quantities, as position and momentum or energy and time, produces uncertainties in the measurement of the other, such that the product of the uncertainties of both quantities is equal to or greater than h/ 2 π, where h equals Planck's constant.
- up close and personal — face to face, intimately
- up hill and down dale — strenuously and persistently