16-letter words containing w, a, i, l
- high-level waste — radioactive waste material, such as spent nuclear fuel initially having a high activity and thus needing constant cooling for several decades by its producers before it can be reprocessed or treated
- hit a brick wall — unable to continue or make progress because of a hindrance
- hole in the wall — an opening through something; gap; aperture: a hole in the roof; a hole in my sock.
- hole-in-the-wall — A hole-in-the-wall machine is a machine built into the wall of a bank or other building, which allows people to take out money from their bank account by using a special card.
- holographic will — a will that is entirely in the handwriting of the testator: in some states recognized as valid without the attestation of witnesses.
- icterine warbler — a European variety of tree warbler (Hippolais icterina )
- immigration laws — regulations on incoming foreigners
- implied warranty — a warranty not stated explicitly by the seller of merchandise or real property but presumed for reasons of commercial or legal custom (distinguished from express warranty).
- in the meanwhile — until then, for now
- in-law apartment — a self-contained living area within a single-family home, as for an aging parent.
- inclined railway — a cable railway used on particularly steep inclines unsuitable for normal adhesion locomotives
- indian wrestling — arm wrestling
- industrial waste — waste materials left over from a manufacturing process in industrial buildings such as factories and mines
- invisible shadow — (in architectural shades and shadows) a three-dimensional space occupied by the shadow projected by a solid and within which a surface is in shadow.
- it is as well to — You say it is as well to think or do something when you are advising someone to think in a particular way or to take a particular action.
- it's all up with — there is no further hope for; the end is near for
- jailhouse lawyer — a prisoner who has taught himself or herself law while serving time, is knowledgeable about technical legal matters, and gives legal advice, especially to fellow prisoners.
- javelin throwing — the sport of throwing the javelin
- kirchhoff's laws — the law that the algebraic sum of the currents flowing toward any point in an electric network is zero.
- knowledgeability — possessing or exhibiting knowledge, insight, or understanding; intelligent; well-informed; discerning; perceptive.
- knuckle sandwich — a punch in the mouth with a clenched fist.
- law of parsimony — a principle according to which an explanation of a thing or event is made with the fewest possible assumptions.
- lawson criterion — (in a hypothetical nuclear fusion reactor) the requirement that in order for the energy produced by fusion to exceed the energy expended in causing the fusion, the product of the density of the fuel and the time during which it is confined at that density (Lawson product) must be greater than a certain number that depends on the kind of fuel used.
- lewis and harris — the northernmost island of the Hebrides, in NW Scotland. 825 sq. mi. (2135 sq. km).
- little brown bat — any of several small to medium-sized common bats of the genera Myotis and Eptesicus, found worldwide in caves, trees, and buildings, including M. lucifugus (little brown bat) and E. fuscus (big brown bat) a widespread North American species.
- littoral warfare — military combat conducted in coastal areas.
- long-wire aerial — a travelling-wave aerial consisting of one or more conductors, the length of which usually exceeds several wavelengths
- lord howe island — an island in the S Pacific, E of Australia: a dependency of New South Wales. 5 sq. mi. (13 sq. km).
- lower california — Baja California.
- lower palatinate — See under Palatinate (def 1).
- machine washable — suitable for washing in a washing machine
- mackinaw blanket — a thick woolen blanket, often woven with bars of color, formerly used in the northern and western U.S. by Indians, loggers, etc.
- magnolia warbler — a black and yellow wood warbler, Dendroica magnolia, of North America.
- maid of all work — a maid who does all types of housework
- mallowpuff māori — a Māori who is considered to behave like a white person
- matthew flinders — Matthew, 1774–1814, English navigator and explorer: surveyed coast of Australia.
- molecular weight — the average weight of a molecule of an element or compound measured in units once based on the weight of one hydrogen atom taken as the standard or on 1/16 (0.0625) the weight of an oxygen atom, but after 1961 based on 1/12 (0.083) the weight of the carbon-12 atom; the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule. Abbreviation: mol. wt.
- most wanted list — an actual or supposed listing of the names of persons who are urgently being sought for a specific reason, as apprehension for an alleged crime.
- multi-way branch — switch statement
- network analysis — a mathematical method of analyzing complex problems, as in transportation or project scheduling, by representing the problem as a network of lines and nodes.
- new philadelphia — a city in E Ohio.
- nightingale ward — a long hospital ward with beds on either side and the nurses' station in the middle
- nuncupative will — a will made by the oral and unwritten declaration of the testator, valid only in special circumstances.
- optical tweezers — a laser device used to study, manipulate, or trap a microscopic object, as a microorganism or cell, with nanometer precision.
- overhead railway — elevated railroad.
- pearls of wisdom — good advice, wise words
- philip of swabia — 1180?–1208, king of Germany and uncrowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 1198–1208 (son of Frederick I).
- phillis wheatley — Phillis [fil-is] /ˈfɪl ɪs/ (Show IPA), 1753?–84, American poet, born in Africa; probably Senegal.
- place of worship — religious house: church, temple
- poiseuille's law — the law that the velocity of a liquid flowing through a capillary is directly proportional to the pressure of the liquid and the fourth power of the radius of the capillary and is inversely proportional to the viscosity of the liquid and the length of the capillary.