14-letter words containing w, e, l, a
- preventive law — consultation, as between lawyer and client, to prevent future litigation by dispensing legal advice, clarifying the terms of a contract, etc.
- propeller wash — the backwash from a propeller.
- public welfare — state aid to the poor
- quarter hollow — a deep cove or cavetto.
- railway bridge — a bridge built to carry a railway over a road, river, etc
- railway engine — a self-propelled engine used for drawing or pushing trains along railway tracks; locomotive
- railway police — the branch of the police force specializing in maintaining law and order and detecting crime on the railways
- railway porter — a person employed to carry luggage, parcels, supplies, etc at a railway station
- railway worker — railroad employee
- red sandalwood — the fragrant heartwood of any of certain Asian trees of the genus Santalum, used for ornamental carving and burned as incense.
- rent allowance — money given to individuals by the government that subsidises the cost of renting a property
- residual power — power retained by a governmental authority after certain powers have been delegated to other authorities.
- retaining wall — a wall for holding in place a mass of earth or the like, as at the edge of a terrace or excavation.
- rewardableness — the quality or state of being rewardable
- rip van winkle — (in a story by Washington Irving) a ne'er-do-well who sleeps 20 years and upon waking is startled to find how much the world has changed.
- road allowance — land reserved by the government to be used for public roads
- roger williams — Ben Ames [eymz] /eɪmz/ (Show IPA), 1889–1953, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
- sackville-west — Dame Victoria Mary ("Vita") 1892–1962, English poet and novelist (wife of Harold Nicolson).
- sadler's wells — a theatre in London. It was renovated in 1931 by Lilian Bayliss and became the home of the Sadler's Wells Opera Company and the Sadler's Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet)
- saint lawrence — D(avid) H(erbert) 1885–1930, English novelist.
- sandwich panel — a structural panel consisting of a core of one material enclosed between two sheets of a different material.
- sanitary towel — sanitary napkin.
- savi's warbler — a type of warbler; Locustella luscinioides.
- scenic railway — a railroad that carries its passengers on a brief tour of an amusement park, resort, etc.
- secondary wall — the innermost part of a plant cell wall, deposited after the wall has ceased to increase in surface area.
- self-awareness — the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness: The object of the information drive is to raise awareness of what spreads HIV/AIDS.
- seward's folly — the purchase of Alaska in 1867, through the negotiations of Secretary of State W. H. Seward.
- shallow-minded — lacking intellectual or mental depth or subtlety; superficial
- showplace home — a historic house
- shut in a well — To shut in a well is to close off a well so that it stops producing.
- slatwall panel — A slatwall panel is a slatted surface which can be fixed to the wall from which shelves or hooks can be hung at varying heights to display merchandise.
- sleepaway camp — a camp providing facilities for teenagers to sleep away from home
- snowflake baby — a baby born following the transfer of a surplus embryo produced during the in-vitro fertilization of one woman to the womb of another woman who was not a cell donor
- social network — a network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts: Strong social networks can encourage healthy behaviors.
- social welfare — social services provided by a government for its citizens.
- sparkling wine — a wine that is naturally carbonated by a second fermentation.
- speak well for — to say or indicate something favorable about
- spectra yellow — a vivid yellow color.
- steal the show — to cause or allow to be seen; exhibit; display.
- stewart island — one of the islands of New Zealand, S of South Island. 670 sq. mi. (1735 sq. km).
- straw-coloured — If you describe something, especially hair, as straw-coloured, you mean that it is pale yellow.
- street railway — a company that operates streetcars or buses.
- sturgeon's law — "Ninety percent of everything is crap". Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, who once said, "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud." Oddly, when Sturgeon's Law is cited, the final word is almost invariably changed to "crap". Compare Ninety-Ninety Rule. Though this maxim originated in SF fandom, most hackers recognise it and are all too aware of its truth.
- swallow-tailed — having a deeply forked tail like that of a swallow, as various birds.
- swamp milkweed — a coarse milkweed, Asclepias incarnata, growing in swampy places from eastern North America to Colorado, having ball-like clusters of rose-purple flowers.
- sweated labour — workers forced to work in poor conditions for low pay
- swelled-headed — an inordinately grand opinion of oneself; conceit.
- swing the lead — to malinger or make up excuses
- swivel weaving — the process of weaving on a loom equipped with a swivel.
- swollen-headed — conceited