13-letter words containing a, l, i, f, e
- finagle's law — (humour) The generalised or "folk" version of Murphy's Law, fully named "Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives" and usually rendered "Anything that can go wrong, will". One variant favoured among hackers is "The perversity of the Universe tends toward a maximum". The label "Finagle's Law" was popularised by SF author Larry Niven in several stories depicting a frontier culture of asteroid miners; this "Belter" culture professed a religion and/or running joke involving the worship of the dread god Finagle and his mad prophet Murphy.
- final edition — the last version of a particular issue of a daily newspaper
- final whistle — sport: whistle indicating end of match
- finback whale — rorqual
- fingal's cave — a cave on the island of Staffa, in the Hebrides, Scotland. 227 feet (69 meters) long; 42 feet (13 meters) wide.
- finite clause — a clause with a finite verb in its predicate.
- firewall code — 1. The code you put in a system (say, a telephone switch) to make sure that the users can't do any damage. Since users always want to be able to do everything but never want to suffer for any mistakes, the construction of a firewall is a question not only of defensive coding but also of interface presentation, so that users don't even get curious about those corners of a system where they can burn themselves. 2. Any sanity check inserted to catch a can't happen error. Wise programmers often change code to fix a bug twice: once to fix the bug, and once to insert a firewall which would have arrested the bug before it did quite as much damage.
- first refusal — If someone has first refusal on something that is being sold or offered, they have the right to decide whether or not to buy it or take it before it is offered to anyone else.
- fixed capital — capital goods, as machinery and tools, that are relatively durable and can be used repeatedly in the production of goods.
- flabergasting — Present participle of flabergast.
- flagellomania — enthusiasm for whipping or being whipped
- flame cutting — a method of cutting ferrous metals in which the metal is heated by a torch to about 800°C and is oxidized by a stream of oxygen from the torch
- flameproofing — Present participle of flameproof.
- flash picture — a photograph made using flash photography.
- flavoproteins — Plural form of flavoprotein.
- fleet admiral — the highest ranking naval officer, ranking next above admiral.
- fleet air arm — the aviation branch of the Royal Navy
- fleming valve — (formerly) a diode.
- flemish giant — one of a breed of large domestic rabbits of Belgian origin, having a solid gray, white, or black coat, and raised for its meat and fur.
- flight leader — a pilot who commands a flight of military airplanes.
- floatcut file — file with rows of parallel teeth
- floating debt — short-term government borrowing, esp by the issue of three-month Treasury bills
- floating rate — fluctuating exchange rate
- floating vote — those voters collectively who are not permanently attached to any political party.
- flowering ash — a variety of ash tree that produces conspicuous flowers
- fluid-extract — a liquid preparation, containing alcohol as a solvent or as a preservative, that contains in each cubic centimeter the medicinal activity of one gram of the crude drug in powdered form.
- flunitrazepam — a powerful benzodiazepine sedative, C 16 H 12 FN 3 O 3 , that causes semiconsciousness and memory blackouts: has been implicated in date rapes and is illegal in the U.S.
- fly fisherman — one who fishes by fly-casting
- flying saucer — any of various disk-shaped objects allegedly seen flying at high speeds and altitudes, often with extreme changes in speed and direction, and thought by some to be manned by intelligent beings from outer space.
- flying tackle — a tackle made by hurling one's body through the air at the player carrying the ball.
- focal seizure — an epileptic manifestation arising from a localized anomaly in the brain, as a small tumor or scar, and usually involving a single motor or sensory mechanism but occasionally spreading to other areas and causing convulsions and loss of consciousness.
- foliage plant — any plant grown chiefly for its attractive leaves.
- fontainebleau — a town in N France, SE of Paris: famous palace, long a favorite residence of French kings; extensive forest.
- foolhardiness — recklessly or thoughtlessly bold; foolishly rash or venturesome.
- for dear life — the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.
- foraminiferal — Of, pertaining to, or resembling the foraminifers; foraminiferous.
- force a smile — to make oneself smile
- formal review — (project) A technical review conducted with the customer including the types of reviews called for in DOD-STD-2167A (Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, etc.)
- foxtail wedge — a wedge in the split end of a tenon, bolt, or the like, for spreading and securing it when driven into a blind mortise or hole.
- fractionalise — Alt form fractionalize.
- fractionalize — Divide (someone or something) into separate groups or parts.
- fragmentarily — consisting of or reduced to fragments; broken; disconnected; incomplete: fragmentary evidence; fragmentary remains.
- frank whittle — Sir Frank, 1907–96, English engineer and inventor.
- franklin tree — a deciduous tree, Franklinia alatamaha, having large, white, fragrant flowers, one of the rarest trees in the world, once native only to Georgia and now known only in cultivation.
- fraser island — an island off the south-east coast of Queensland and the largest sand island in the world; contains rainforests, heathlands, and freshwater lakes; a national park (since 1976) and a World Heritage site (since 1992). Area: 1840 sq km (710 sq miles). Pop: 194 (2011)
- free variable — (in functional calculus) a variable occurring in a sentential function and not within the scope of any quantifier containing it.
- free-floating — (of an emotional state) lacking an apparent cause, focus, or object; generalized: free-floating hostility.
- freight plane — an aeroplane used to transport goods
- freudian slip — (in Freudian psychology) an inadvertent mistake in speech or writing that is thought to reveal a person's unconscious motives, wishes, or attitudes.
- frise aileron — an aircraft wing control surface designed with its leading edge extending forward of its axis of rotation so that when the aileron's trailing edge is raised the leading edge extends below the bottom surface of the wing.