17-letter words containing w, h, e
- lower paleolithic — See under Paleolithic.
- make the worst of — to be pessimistic about
- mann-whitney test — a statistical test of the difference between the distributions of data collected in two experimental conditions applied to unmatched groups of subjects but comparing the distributions of the ranks of the scores
- may/might as well — If you say that you might as well do something, or that you may as well do it, you mean that you will do it although you do not have a strong desire to do it and may even feel slightly unwilling to do it.
- message switching — store and forward
- metabolic pathway — biochemistry: sequence of reactions within a cell or organism
- middle of nowhere — a completely isolated, featureless, or insignificant place
- minion of the law — a policeman.
- mother spleenwort — a fern, Asplenium bulbiferum, of tropical Africa and Australasia, the fronds often bearing bulbils that sprout into new plants while still attached, grown as an ornamental.
- mount fairweather — a mountain in W North America, on the border between Alaska and British Columbia. Height: 4663 m (15 300 ft)
- narrow-shouldered — having shoulders which do not extend very far from the neck; not broad-shouldered
- nashville warbler — a North American wood warbler, Vermivora ruficapilla, having a gray head, an olive-green back, and yellow underparts.
- neck of the woods — the part of the body of an animal or human being that connects the head and the trunk.
- new english bible — an English translation (1970) of the Bible into contemporary idiom, directed by Anglican and other Protestant churches of Great Britain.
- north-wall hammer — a type of ice axe that has a hammer as part of its head
- northern bobwhite — any of several American quail of the genus Colinus, especially C. virginianus (northern bobwhite) having mottled reddish-brown, black, and white plumage.
- northwest by west — a point on the compass, 11°15′ west of northwest. Abbreviation: NWbW.
- northwest passage — a ship route along the Arctic coast of Canada and Alaska, joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- number eight wire — a standard gauge of fencing wire
- number three wood — spoon (def 5).
- on one's own hook — a curved or angular piece of metal or other hard substance for catching, pulling, holding, or suspending something.
- on the wrong foot — in an inauspicious manner
- on the wrong tack — a short, sharp-pointed nail, usually with a flat, broad head.
- open-channel flow — Open-channel flow is a liquid flow in a channel, which has a free liquid surface.
- out at the elbows — the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
- out of the window — dispensed with; disregarded
- pacific northwest — the region of North America lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Rockies
- pebbleweave cloth — an irregularly textured material made from twisted yarn
- pincushion flower — scabious2 (def 1).
- play with oneself — a dramatic composition or piece; drama.
- private ownership — the fact of being owned by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public body
- pull one's weight — the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; amount a thing weighs.
- put the screws on — a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven into wood or the like by rotating, especially by means of a screwdriver.
- quick on the draw — having fast reflexes
- roof of the world — Tibet, Plateau of.
- rough-legged hawk — a large hawk, Buteo lagopus, of the Northern Hemisphere, that feeds chiefly on small rodents.
- rub the wrong way — to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing: to rub a table top with wax polish; to rub the entire back area.
- sawed-off shotgun — rifle with a short barrel
- scattered showers — showers that are scattered across an area, or that occur at intervals throughout the day
- schwedler's maple — a variety of the Norway maple, Acer platanoides schwedleri, producing red leaves that subsequently turn green.
- september weather — weather characteristic of the month of September, esp in being unpredictable as summer is ending and autumn is beginning
- sheepswool sponge — wool sponge.
- show sb the ropes — If you show someone the ropes, you show them how to do a particular job or task.
- shower attachment — a device fixed to taps to make a shower
- slap on the wrist — a sharp blow or smack, especially with the open hand or with something flat.
- south west africa — a former name of Namibia.
- south-west africa — a former name of Namibia.
- southampton water — an inlet of the English Channel in S England
- southwest by west — a point on the compass 11°15′ west of southwest. Abbreviation: SWbW.
- spaghetti western — a low-budget western movie shot in Italy or Spain, usually with Italian actors and an American star.