22-letter words containing w, r, s, t

portuguese west africa — a republic in SW Africa: formerly an overseas province of Portugal; gained independence Nov. 11, 1975. 481,226 sq. mi. (1,246,375 sq. km). Capital: Luanda.
public domain software — public domain
read between the lines — a mark or stroke long in proportion to its breadth, made with a pen, pencil, tool, etc., on a surface: a line down the middle of the page.
sapir-whorf hypothesis — a theory developed by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf that states that the structure of a language determines or greatly influences the modes of thought and behavior characteristic of the culture in which it is spoken.
sb can whistle for sth — If you say that someone can whistle for a particular thing, you mean that you are not willing or able to give it to them.
search the fucking web — (web, jargon) (Always abbreviated STFW) A response implying that an inquirer could have easily found an answer to his question using Google or some other web search engine. It is now often quicker and more productive to search the World-Wide Web than to RTFM.
self-sustaining growth — economic growth that maintains itself without intervention
sell sb down the river — If someone sells you down the river, they betray you for some personal profit or advantage.
show the white feather — a symbol of cowardice.
sir william blackstone — Sir William, 1723–80, English jurist and writer on law.
social justice warrior — Disparaging. a person who advocates a progressive orthodoxy, often on the Internet, especially involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, gender, or gender-identity minorities. Abbreviation: SJW.
social networking site — a website that allows subscribers to interact, typically by requesting that others add them to their visible list of contacts, by forming or joining sub-groups based around shared interests, or publishing content so that a specified group of subscribers can access it
special drawing rights — the reserve assets of the International Monetary Fund on which member nations may draw in proportion to their contribution to the Fund
statute of westminster — the act of Parliament (1931) that formally recognized the independence of the dominions within the Empire
swings and roundabouts — If you say that a situation is swings and roundabouts, you mean that there are as many gains as there are losses.
take one's breath away — the air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.
the french west indies — various islands in the Lesser Antilles, administered by France; chiefly Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin. Pop: 838 000 (2004 est). Area: 2792 sq km (1077 sq miles)
the-leaning-tower-pisa — a round, marble campanile in Pisa, Italy, begun in 1174 and now 17 feet (5.2 meters) out of the perpendicular in its height of 179 feet (54 meters).
throw on the scrapheap — to discard or get rid of as useless
to be a one-way street — if you describe an agreement or a relationship as a one-way street, you mean that only one of the sides in the agreement or relationship is offering something or is benefitting from it
to bend over backwards — If you say that someone is bending over backwards to be helpful or kind, you are emphasizing that they are trying very hard to be helpful or kind.
to cast your net wider — If you cast your net wider, you look for or consider a greater variety of things.
to draw someone's fire — If you draw fire from someone, you cause them to shoot at you, for example because they think that you are threatening them.
to drown one's sorrows — If you say that someone is drowning their sorrows, you mean that they are drinking alcohol in order to forget something sad or upsetting that has happened to them.
to swallow one's pride — If you swallow your pride, you decide to do something even though you think it will cause you to lose some respect.
to twiddle your thumbs — If you say that someone is twiddling their thumbs, you mean that they do not have anything to do and are waiting for something to happen.
to twist someone's arm — If you twist someone's arm, you persuade them to do something.
trans-siberian railway — a railway in S Russia, extending from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific: constructed between 1891 and 1916, making possible the settlement and industrialization of sparsely inhabited regions. Length: 9335 km (5800 miles)
twenty-first amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933, providing for the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, which had outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
unwritten constitution — a constitution, as in Great Britain, not codified as a document but defined by custom and precedent as embodied in statutes and judicial decisions.
user network interface — (communications, networking) (UNI) An interface point between ATM end users and a private ATM switch, or between a private ATM switch and the public carrier ATM network. The physical and protocol specifications for UNIs are defined by the ATM Forum's UNI documents, which allow for various types of physical interfaces. See also: NNI
van der waals equation — an equation of state relating the pressure, volume, and absolute temperature of a gas, taking into account the finite size of the molecules and the attractive force between them.
war between the states — the American Civil War: used especially in the South.
wardour street english — affectedly archaic speech or writing
was not born yesterday — is not gullible or foolish
washington court house — a city in SW Ohio.
wear out one's welcome — a kindly greeting or reception, as to one whose arrival gives pleasure: to give someone a warm welcome.
west greenland current — an ocean current flowing northward along the west coast of Greenland.
what's the difference? — what does it matter?
where the shoe pinches — the source of trouble, grief, difficulty, etc.
whitchurch-stouffville — a town in SW Ontario, in S Canada, N of Toronto.
white australia policy — an unofficial term for an immigration policy designed to restrict the entry of non-White people into Australia
white-throated sparrow — a common North American finch, Zonotrichia albicollis, having a white patch on the throat and a black and white striped crown.
whitworth screw thread — a thread form and system of standard sizes, proposed by Whitworth in 1841 and adopted as standard in the U.K., having a flank angle of 55° and a rounded top and foot
wi-fi protected access — (networking, security) (WPA) A security scheme for wireless networks, developed by the networking industry in response to the shortcomings of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption and provides built-in authentication, giving security comparable to VPN tunneling with WEP, with the benefit of easier administration and use.
william's bon chrétien — a variety of pear that has large yellow juicy sweet fruit
with all the trimmings — if you say that something comes with all the trimmings, you mean that it has many extra things added to it to make it more special
within someone's grasp — If you say that something is within someone's grasp, you mean that it is very likely that they will achieve it.
workmen's compensation — compensation for death, injury, or accident suffered by a workman in the course of his employment and paid to him or his dependents
wrong end of the stick — a complete misunderstanding of a situation, explanation, etc

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