17-letter words containing w, a, f, e
- lie in wait (for) — to wait so as to catch after planning an ambush or trap (for)
- make the worst of — to be pessimistic about
- mayflower compact — an agreement to establish a government, entered into by the Pilgrims in the cabin of the Mayflower on November 11, 1620.
- minion of the law — a policeman.
- mount fairweather — a mountain in W North America, on the border between Alaska and British Columbia. Height: 4663 m (15 300 ft)
- new lease on life — a contract renting land, buildings, etc., to another; a contract or instrument conveying property to another for a specified period or for a period determinable at the will of either lessor or lessee in consideration of rent or other compensation.
- newfoundland time — a form of civil time observed on the island of Newfoundland, one and one-half hours later than Eastern time and a half hour later than Atlantic time.
- off one's own bat — If someone does something off their own bat, they do it without anyone else suggesting it.
- open-channel flow — Open-channel flow is a liquid flow in a channel, which has a free liquid surface.
- orange flower oil — neroli oil.
- pacific northwest — the region of North America lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Rockies
- play with oneself — a dramatic composition or piece; drama.
- power of attorney — a written document given by one person or party to another authorizing the latter to act for the former.
- sawed-off shotgun — rifle with a short barrel
- self-acknowledged — widely recognized; generally accepted: an acknowledged authority on Chinese art.
- sidesaddle flower — a pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea.
- software engineer — a person who writes computer programs
- software platform — a major piece of software, as an operating system, an operating environment, or a database, under which various smaller application programs can be designed to run.
- south west africa — a former name of Namibia.
- south-west africa — a former name of Namibia.
- store and forward — to store (information) in a computer for later forward transmission through a telecommunication network
- sword of damocles — Damocles (def 2).
- teaching software — computer software for use in providing online education
- the final whistle — a blast on a referee's whistle to indicate that a game is over
- to play with fire — If you say that someone is playing with fire, you mean that they are doing something dangerous that may result in great harm for them and cause many problems.
- to show your face — If you show your face somewhere, you go there and see people, although you are not welcome, are rather unwilling to go, or have not been there for some time.
- twelfth amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1804, providing for election of the president and vice president by the electoral college: should there be no majority vote for one person, the House of Representatives (one vote per state) chooses the president and the Senate the vice president.
- unlawful assembly — a meeting of three or more people with the intent of carrying out any unlawful purpose
- wage differential — the difference in wages between workers with different skills in the same industry or between those with comparable skills in different industries or localities
- waiver of premium — a provision in a policy establishing specific conditions under which the policy will be kept in force without the policyholder's being required to continue to pay premiums.
- walleye surfperch — a common black and silvery surfperch (Hyperprosopon argenteum) found off the coast of California
- wars of the roses — the civil struggle between the royal house of Lancaster, whose emblem was a red rose, and the royal house of York, whose emblem was a white rose, beginning in 1455 and ending with the accession of Henry VII in 1485 and the union of the two houses.
- water lily family — the plant family Nymphaeaceae, characterized by aquatic herbaceous plants having usually broad leaves, solitary, often showy flowers, and fruit in a variety of forms, and including the lotus (genus Nelumbo), spatterdock, water lily, and water shield.
- wave-cut platform — a flat surface at the base of a cliff formed by erosion by waves
- wedding breakfast — meal served at wedding reception
- welfare economics — a branch of economics concerned with improving human welfare and social conditions chiefly through the optimum distribution of wealth, the relief or reduction of unemployment, etc.
- willow flycatcher — a North American flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum, of alder thickets and other moist areas, that has greenish-brown upper parts and whitish underparts and is almost indistinguishable except by voice from E. traillii (willow flycatcher)
- with a difference — If you describe a job or holiday, for example, as a job with a difference or a holiday with a difference, you mean that the job or holiday is very interesting and unusual.
- with half a heart — halfheartedly
- woman of the hour — a woman honored by a group.
- work-life balance — a situation in which one divides or balances one's time between work and activities outside of work: It's hard to achieve a reasonable work-life balance when you run your own business.
- yellowstone falls — a waterfall in NW Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park on the Yellowstone River