19-letter words containing w, d, a
- straightforwardness — going or directed straight ahead: a straightforward gaze.
- 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.
- 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
- take my word for it — If you say to someone 'take my word for it', you mean that they should believe you because you are telling the truth.
- the hampshire downs — a range of low chalk hills that crosses Hampshire in S England
- the whole enchilada — all of it; everything; the entirety of something
- third law of motion — any of three laws of classical mechanics, either the law that a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless an external force acts on the body (first law of motion) the law that the sum of the forces acting on a body is equal to the product of the mass of the body and the acceleration produced by the forces, with motion in the direction of the resultant of the forces (second law of motion) or the law that for every force acting on a body, the body exerts a force having equal magnitude and the opposite direction along the same line of action as the original force (third law of motion or law of action and reaction)
- thomas of woodstock — Duke of Gloucester, 1355–97, English prince (son of Edward III).
- throw cold water on — having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth: cold water; a cold day.
- throw in one's hand — (in cards) to concede defeat by putting one's cards down
- throw sth overboard — If you throw something overboard, for example an idea or suggestion, you reject it completely.
- 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 break new ground — If you break new ground, you do something completely different or you do something in a completely different way.
- 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.
- under the shadow of — in danger of; apparently fated for
- 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
- wandering albatross — a large albatross, Diomedea exulans, of southern waters, having the plumage mostly white with dark markings on the upper parts.
- war of independence — American Revolution.
- wash one's hands of — the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers, and thumb.
- wassermann antibody — reagin (def 1).
- 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
- websters-dictionary — Informal. a dictionary of the English language, especially American English, such as Dictionary.com.
- wedding anniversary — the annual commemoration of a couple's marriage: a tenth wedding anniversary.
- wesleyan methodists — a branch of the Methodist Church in its original form
- west dunbartonshire — a council area of W central Scotland, on Loch Lomond and the Clyde estuary: corresponds to part of the historical county of Dunbartonshire; part of Strathclyde Region from 1975 to 1996: engineering industries. Administrative centre: Dumbarton. Pop: 92 320 (2003 est). Area: 162 sq km (63 sq miles)
- wet behind the ears — moistened, covered, or soaked with water or some other liquid: wet hands.
- what possessed you? — If you ask what possessed someone to do something, you are emphasizing your great surprise that they have done something which you consider foolish or dangerous.
- what-do-you-call-it — whachamacallit.
- 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-handed gibbon — a gibbon, Hylobates lar, inhabiting Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and northern Sumatra, varying from black to light buff in color, and having white hands and feet: an endangered species.
- 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 howard taft — Helen Herron [her-uh n] /ˈhɛr ən/ (Show IPA), 1861–1943, U.S. First Lady 1909–13 (wife of William Howard Taft).
- wire-haired terrier — a breed of terrier having a rough wiry coat
- withdrawal symptoms — When someone has withdrawal symptoms, they feel ill after they have stopped taking a drug which they were addicted to.
- 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.
- without further ado — If you do something without further ado or without more ado, you do it at once and do not discuss or delay it any longer.
- wood-and-water joey — a person employed to carry out menial tasks
- work sb/os to death — If you say that someone works another person to death, you are emphasizing that they make them work very hard indeed, especially in a way that seems cruel or unfair.
- 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
- wouldn't harm a fly — If you say that someone wouldn't hurt a fly or wouldn't harm a fly, you are emphasizing that they are very kind and gentle.
- wraparound mortgage — a mortgage, as a second mortgage, that includes payments on a previous mortgage that continues in effect.
- 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.