16-letter words containing the
- flash in the pan — a brief, sudden burst of bright light: a flash of lightning.
- flathead catfish — a yellow and brown catfish, Pylodictus olivaris, common in the central U.S., having a flattened head and a projecting lower jaw.
- flatheaded borer — the larva of a metallic wood-boring beetle, having an expanded and flattened anterior end.
- follow the crowd — copy what others are doing
- foot in the door — If you say that something helps someone to get their foot in the door or their toe in the door, you mean that it gives them an opportunity to start doing something new, usually in an area that is difficult to succeed in.
- for the duration — If you say that something will happen for the duration, you mean that it will happen for as long as a particular situation continues.
- for the meantime — For the meantime means for a period of time from now until something else happens.
- forbid the banns — to raise an objection to a marriage announced in this way
- forefathers' day — the anniversary of the day (December 21, 1620, in Old Style December 11) on which the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Mass. Owing to an error in changing the date from the Old Style to the New, it is generally observed on December 22.
- from the word go — to move or proceed, especially to or from something: They're going by bus.
- full to the brim — If something, especially a container, is filled to the brim or full to the brim with something, it is filled right up to the top.
- geothermal power — power generated using steam produced by heat emanating from the molten core of the earth
- get the hell out — If you tell someone to get the hell out of a place, you are telling them angrily or emphatically to leave that place immediately.
- get the lead out — Chemistry. a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal, sometimes found in its natural state but usually combined as a sulfide, especially in galena. Symbol: Pb; atomic weight: 207.19; atomic number: 82; specific gravity: 11.34 at 20°C.
- gilding the lily — If you say that someone is gilding the lily, you mean that they are spoiling something that is already beautiful or perfect by trying to improve it or by praising it too highly.
- give sb the slip — If you give someone the slip, you escape from them when they are following you or watching you.
- glory-of-the-sun — a bulbous, Chilean plant, Leucocoryne ixioides, of the amaryllis family, having fragrant, white or blue flowers.
- glove anesthesia — loss of sensation in the hand
- go into the tank — a large receptacle, container, or structure for holding a liquid or gas: tanks for storing oil.
- go off the rails — If someone goes off the rails, they start to behave in a way that other people think is unacceptable or very strange, for example they start taking drugs or breaking the law.
- go over the hill — a natural elevation of the earth's surface, smaller than a mountain.
- go the whole hog — Nautical. (of a hull) to have less than the proper amount of sheer because of structural weakness; arch. Compare sag (def 6a).
- go to the toilet — You can say that someone goes to the toilet to mean that they get rid of waste substances from their body, especially when you want to avoid using words that you think may offend people.
- go with the flow — take a relaxed approach
- go with the turf — to be an unavoidable part of a particular situation or process
- gold star mother — an American woman whose son or daughter has died while serving in the United States Armed Forces
- grasp the nettle — If you grasp the nettle, you deal with a problem, or do something that is unpleasant, quickly and in a determined way.
- gum up the works — exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil.
- has the x nature — (From Zen Buddhist koans of the form "Does an X have the Buddha-nature?") Common hacker construction for "is an X", used for humorous emphasis. "Anyone who can't even use a program with on-screen help embedded in it truly has the loser nature!" See also the X that can be Y is not the true X.
- have in the wind — to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent
- have the decency — If you say that someone did not have the decency to do something, you are criticizing them because there was a particular action which they did not do but which you believe they ought to have done.
- have the drop on — a small quantity of liquid that falls or is produced in a more or less spherical mass; a liquid globule.
- have the edge on — to have a slight advantage or superiority over
- have the wood on — to have an advantage over
- heliotherapeutic — Pertaining to heliotherapy.
- hell for leather — If you say that someone is going hell for leather, you are emphasizing that they are doing something or are moving very quickly and perhaps carelessly.
- hell-for-leather — characterized by reckless determination or breakneck speed: The sheriff led the posse in a hell-for-leather chase.
- hemotherapeutics — hemotherapy.
- hen of the woods — a large, grayish-brown, edible fungus, Polyporus frondosus, forming a mass of overlapping caps at the base of trees and somewhat resembling a hen.
- hole in the wall — an opening through something; gap; aperture: a hole in the roof; a hole in my sock.
- hole-in-the-wall — A hole-in-the-wall machine is a machine built into the wall of a bank or other building, which allows people to take out money from their bank account by using a special card.
- hot and bothered — having or giving off heat; having a high temperature: a hot fire; hot coffee.
- hunt the slipper — a children's game in which the players look for a hidden slipper or other object, such as a thimble (hunt the thimble)
- hunt the thimble — a children's game in which the players look for a hidden thimble
- hygrothermograph — an instrument for recording temperature and relative humidity.
- hyperthermophile — (biology) An organism that lives and thrives in an extremely hot environment, such as a deep sea smoker vent; often a member of the Archaea.
- in at the finish — being present or taking part at the conclusion, as of a contest
- in plain clothes — not wearing a uniform
- in the aggregate — formed by the conjunction or collection of particulars into a whole mass or sum; total; combined: the aggregate amount of indebtedness.
- in the ascendant — If someone or something is in the ascendant, they have or are getting more power, influence, or popularity than other people or things.