19-letter words containing w, a, l, e
- scale down (or up) — to reduce (or increase), often according to a fixed ratio or proportion
- see one's way clear — to be willing (to do something)
- siberian wallflower — a North American plant, Erysimum asperum, of the mustard family, having orange-yellow flowers.
- sir wilfrid laurier — Sir Wilfrid [wil-frid;; French weel-freed] /ˈwɪl frɪd;; French wilˈfrid/ (Show IPA), 1841–1919, Canadian statesman: prime minister 1896–1911.
- sleepy hollow chair — an armchair of the mid-19th century, sometimes on rockers, having a single piece forming a high upholstered back and a concave upholstered seat.
- so what else is new — not surprised
- sow one's wild oats — any uncultivated species of Avena, especially a common weedy grass, A. fatua, resembling the cultivated oat.
- st. lawrence seaway — a series of channels, locks, and canals between Montreal and the mouth of Lake Ontario, a distance of 182 miles (293 km), enabling most deep-draft vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean, up the St. Lawrence River, to all the Great Lakes ports: developed jointly by the U.S. and Canada.
- swallow one's words — to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
- swallow-tailed coat — tail coat.
- swallow-tailed kite — an American kite, Elanoides forficatus, having black upper parts, white head and underparts, and a long, deeply forked tail.
- swedish nightingale — Jenny (Johanna Maria Lind Goldschmidt"The Swedish Nightingale") 1820–87, Swedish soprano.
- sweetheart neckline — a neckline on a woman's garment, as a dress, with a high back and a low-cut front with two curved edges resembling the conventionalized shape of a heart.
- sweetness and light — extreme or excessive pleasantness or amiability.
- switchblade (knife) — a large jackknife that snaps open when a release button on the handle is pressed
- teaching fellowship — a fellowship providing a student in a graduate school with free tuition and expenses and stipulating that the student assume some teaching duties in return.
- the whole enchilada — all of it; everything; the entirety of something
- the wolverine state — a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes area of the north central US
- throw cold water on — having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth: cold water; a cold day.
- throw oneself at sb — If someone throws themselves at you, they make it very obvious that they want to begin a relationship with you, by behaving as though they are sexually attracted to you.
- tidal power station — a power station where the energy of flowing water is converted into electricity
- to be headline news — to attract a lot of attention from newspapers
- to blow a raspberry — If you blow a raspberry, you make a sound by putting your tongue out and blowing, in order to insult someone.
- to lay down the law — If you say that someone lays down the law, you are critical of them because they give other people orders and they think that they are always right.
- to leave well alone — If someone tells you to leave well alone, they are telling you not to interfere in something, because it is all right as it is and you might only make it worse.
- traveling-wave tube — an electron tube used in microwave communications systems, having an electron beam directed coaxially through a wire helix to produce amplification.
- unlawful possession — possession of substances or items (such as drugs or guns) for which criminal sanctions exist because they may not be legally possessed or may not be possessed under certain circumstances
- up against the wall — any of various permanent upright constructions having a length much greater than the thickness and presenting a continuous surface except where pierced by doors, windows, etc.: used for shelter, protection, or privacy, or to subdivide interior space, to support floors, roofs, or the like, to retain earth, to fence in an area, etc.
- value added network — (networking) (VAN) A privately owned network that provides a specific service, such as legal research or access to a specialised database, for a fee. A Value Added Network usually offers some service or information that is not readily available on public networks. A Value Added Network's customers typically purchase leased lines that connect them to the network or they use a dial-up number, given by the network owner, to gain access to the network.
- wade-giles (system) — a system for transliterating Chinese ideograms into the Latin alphabet, in wide use esp. before Pinyin was adopted by the People's Republic of China in 1979
- wage-push inflation — an inflationary trend caused by wage increases that in turn cause rises in production costs and prices.
- wandering albatross — a large albatross, Diomedea exulans, of southern waters, having the plumage mostly white with dark markings on the upper parts.
- waste disposal unit — an electrically operated fitment in the plughole of a kitchen sink that breaks up food refuse so that it goes down the waste pipe
- waterglass painting — stereochromy.
- wearable technology — a small computer or advanced electronic device that is worn or carried on the body: the trendiest wearable technologies.
- welsh mountain pony — a small sturdy but graceful breed of pony used mostly for riding, originally from Wales
- wesleyan methodists — a branch of the Methodist Church in its original form
- whistle in the dark — to make a clear musical sound, a series of such sounds, or a high-pitched, warbling sound by the forcible expulsion of the breath through a small opening formed by contracting the lips, or through the teeth, with the aid of the tongue.
- white-collar worker — office employee, clerical worker
- wide-angle glaucoma — open-angle glaucoma. See under glaucoma.
- wild bleeding-heart — a plant, Dicentra eximia, of the fumitory family, native to the eastern coast of the U.S., having elongated clusters of drooping, heart-shaped rose-colored or pink flowers.
- william shakespeare — William ("the Bard"; "the Bard of Avon") 1564–1616, English poet and dramatist.
- wireless local loop — (communications) (WLL, radio in the loop, RITL, fixed-radio access, FRA) Connecting subscribers to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) using radio signals instead of copper wires. The wireless link may be all or part of the connection between the subscriber and the switch. WLL includes cordless access systems, proprietary fixed radio access and fixed cellular systems.
- wireless telegraphy — Now Rare. radiotelegraphy.
- withdrawal syndrome — a spectrum of physical and behavioral symptoms following cessation from the continuous use of an addictive drug, the character and severity of the symptoms depending upon the particular drug and the daily dose.
- world day of prayer — the first Friday in Lent, during which Christians belonging to ecumenical communions pray for foreign missions.
- world heritage site — a natural or manmade area or structure which is recognized as being of international importance and therefore deserving special protection
- writing on the wall — writing done with a pen or pencil in the hand; script.
- yellow book, jargon — (publication) The print version of the Jargon File, titled "The New Hacker's Dictionary". It includes essentially all the material the File, plus a Foreword by Guy L. Steele, Jr. and a Preface by Eric S. Raymond. Most importantly, the book version is nicely typeset and includes almost all of the infamous Crunchly cartoons by the Great Quux, each attached to an appropriate entry. The first, second, and third editions correspond to versions 2.9.6, 3.0.0, and 4.0.0 of the File, respectively.
- yellow-dog contract — a contract between a worker and an employer in which, as a condition of employment, the worker agrees not to remain in or join a union.