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15-letter words containing u, n, s, a

  • serous membrane — any of various thin membranes, as the peritoneum, that line certain cavities of the body and exude a serous fluid.
  • sesquicarbonate — a salt intermediate in composition between a carbonate and a bicarbonate or consisting of the two combined.
  • 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).
  • shoulder season — a travel season between peak and off-peak seasons, especially spring and fall, when fares tend to be relatively low.
  • shoulder weapon — a firearm that is fired while being held in the hands with the butt of the weapon braced against the shoulder.
  • shut one's face — to be silent
  • siberian squill — a bulbous, Eurasian plant, Scilla siberica, of the lily family, having nodding, deep blue flowers.
  • silver quandong — an Australian tree, Elaeocarpus grandis: family Elaeocarpaceae
  • simian virus 40 — SV 40.
  • simple equation — linear equation
  • sinai peninsula — broad peninsula in NE Egypt, between the Gulf of Suez & the Gulf of Aqaba
  • sinkiang uighur — an autonomous region in NW China, bordering Tibet, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Tadzhikistan, Pakistan, and India: formerly a province. 635,830 sq. mi. (1,646,800 sq. km). Capital: Ürümqi.
  • sir arthur john — Sir (Arthur) John, 1904–2000, English actor and director.
  • sleeping beauty — a beautiful princess, the heroine of a popular fairy tale, awakened from a charmed sleep by the kiss of the prince who is her true love.
  • slumpflationary — of or relating to slumpflation
  • smoky mountains — Great Smoky Mountains
  • 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.
  • snapping turtle — either of two large, edible, freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae, of North and Central America, having a large head and powerful hooked jaws, especially the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
  • snowy mountains — a mountain range in SE Australia, part of the Australian Alps: famous hydroelectric scheme
  • so much/so many — You use so much and so many when you are saying that there is a definite limit to something but you are not saying what this limit is.
  • sodium arsenite — a white or grayish-white, water-soluble, poisonous powder, NaAsO 2 , used chiefly in arsenical soaps for hides, as an insecticide, and as a weed-killer.
  • sodium benzoate — a white crystalline soluble compound used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent in preserving food (E211), as an antiseptic, and in making dyes and pharmaceuticals. Formula: (C6H5COO)Na
  • sostenuto pedal — a pedal on a grand piano that raises the dampers, allowing the tone to be sustained for those strings struck at the time the pedal is depressed.
  • sound as a bell — in perfect condition
  • sound deadening — a process or material that reduces the resonance or volume of sound
  • sound-and-light — combining sound effects or music with unusual lighting displays: to promote a product with a spectacular sound-and-light presentation.
  • source language — the language in which a text appears that is to be translated into another language. Compare target language (def 1).
  • south caucasian — a family of languages including Georgian, Mingrelian, and others that are spoken on the south slopes of the Caucasus and adjacent areas.
  • south china sea — a part of the W Pacific, bounded by SE China, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines.
  • south glamorgan — a county in SE Wales. 161 sq. mi. (416 sq. km).
  • southeast asian — the countries and land area of Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
  • southend-on-sea — a seaport in SE Essex, in SE England, on Thames estuary.
  • southern paiute — See under Paiute (def 2).
  • souvanna phouma — Prince, 1901–84, Laotian statesman: premier 1951–54, 1956–58, 1960, and 1962–75.
  • spanish customs — irregular practices among a group of workers to gain increased financial allowances, reduced working hours, etc
  • spawning ground — a place where fish deposit their eggs for fertilization
  • special student — a student who is not seeking a degree but enrols in a course, esp to gain academic credits
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • spontaneousness — coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
  • squadron leader — air-force officer
  • stable equation — a differential equation each solution of which tends to zero as the independent variable increases to infinity. Compare transient (def 6).
  • stamping ground — a habitual or favorite haunt.
  • stand-up comedy — telling jokes to an audience
  • standard clause — a clause which is inserted as standard into certain types of contracts or agreements
  • 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.
  • state education — education provided by the state; education which is not private
  • status quo ante — the state of affairs existing prior to a given event
  • steamed pudding — a traditional pudding containing fat, sugar, eggs, flour, and other ingredients, which is steamed
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