three-cornered jack

en-noun

three-cornered jack (plural three-cornered jacks)

1901, South Australian Department of Agriculture, South Australian Department of Industry, Journal of Agriculture and Industry of South Australia, Volume 4, page 385,
The “Three-cornered jack/Devils thorn” (Emex australis) is believed to be poisonous to them, as many dead locusts are found near to each plant.

Many chemicals are being tested at Mildura in an attempt to control some of the more difficult weeds such as hard-head thistle (Centaurea repens) and three cornered jack/Devils thorn (Emex australis).

1963, Victorian Department of Agriculture, The Journal of Agriculture, volume 61, page 504:

There is also the three-cornered jack, which runs along the ground and has somewhat fleshy green leaves. The seed vessels have four spikes like those of the iron caltrops which used to be laid down to cripple the horses of charging cavalry.

1969, Percival Vincent Wake, Opal men, page 23:

For example, three-cornered jack or double-gee (Emex australis) infests grain crops and reduces grain yield, and the spiny fruits cause severe contamination of produce such as vine fruits, peas and lupins in storage.

2002, T. R. New, Insects and Pest Management in Australian Agriculture, page 41:

(Australia) A weed of species Emex australis.

A seed vessel of this plant, which has three symmetrically arranged thorns and a pointed head.


Tritiya

(Hinduism) The third day (tithi) in the lunar fortnight (paksha) of the Hindu calendar.


Three Rivers

/ˈθɹiː ˈɹɪv.ɚz/

From the fact that three rivers flow through the area (confluence of two rivers, one flowing into the other, resulting in three channels).

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Tulare County, California, United States.


troilist

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-troilist.wav

But, once they had properly got into their stride, the three singers whipped themselves up into a frenzy of sexual abandon, attaining heights of troilist ingenuity worthy of some erotomaniac Heath Robinson […]

1992, Gilbert Adair, The Postmodernist Always Rings Twice:

She has a troilist marriage with two men in her home department in South America.

1999, W Warren Wagar, A Short History of the Future, page 198:

They were both small, with the sort of dark-and-comely, fair-and-goodly features which could give Popes troilist fantasies – although nothing was in their minds much beyond flip-charts, language schemes, lip-patterns and audiograms.

2010, Alan Richardson, On Winsley Hill, page 65:

Involving three sexual partners; pertaining to a threesome.


three cheers

"Three cheers for Jack! Hip hip!"
 "Hooray!"
 "Hip hip!"
 "Hooray!"
 "Hip hip!"
 "Hooray!"

An exclamation of congratulations, usually followed by "hip hip hooray".


trimoraicity

(linguistics) The property of having three morae.


three-fisted

Regimental Gift Set. The Deluxe Combination, a three-fisted gift in a handsome leather-like case with regimental colors and distinctive regimental medallion. After Shave Lotion, Deluxe Shower Soap, Cologne for Men. $9.50

1966 November 25, “Max Factor's Royal Regiment Gift List for Men [advertisement]”, in LIFE, volume 61, number 22, page 2:


three-second rule

three-second rule (plural three-second rules)

three-second rules (plural)
three seconds rule (alternative)

Any rule that prescribes or proscribes behavior in a three-second interval, especially

(basketball) A rule stating that no offensive player may remain in the free-throw lane, with or without the ball, for more than three seconds.


three-fifths

three-fifths of the population

a three-fifths majority

Three of five equal parts (3/5, ⅗, 0.6).


trisula

trisulas (plural)
trishul (alternative)
trisul (alternative)
trishula (alternative)

It may be wondered, at first sight, that the innumerable texts left by Buddhism give us no positive information with regard to the meaning and origin of the trisula.

1894, Eugène Goblet d'Alviella, The Migration of Symbols:

The trisula placed upon a pillar surmounted by flames is the monogram of Buddha.

1945, William J. Fielding, Strange Superstitions and Magical Practices, page ii. 15:

She had a trishul in one hand. Her long raven-black hair was left loose.

2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin, page 96:

The trishula is most commonly associated with the god Shiva, one of the most prominent Hindu deities and the primary god in the sect of Hinduism known as "Shaivism."

2014, Micah Issitt, Carlyn Main, Hidden Religion, page 168:

(Hinduism, Buddhism) A trident, seen as a religious symbol of Hinduism and Buddhism.


throuple

throuples (plural)
thrupple (alternative)
thruple (alternative)

The Air Force veteran fatally shot by police during last week’s US Capitol riot had been in a “throuple” with her husband and their live-in girlfriend, according to reports.

2021 January 14, Tamar Lapin, “Ashli Babbitt, Air Force vet killed at Capitol, was in a ‘throuple’”, in New York Post, retrieved 2021-07-22:

Nearly a year ago, I began dating two friends — I’ll call them Rachel and Dave — who were already themselves in a relationship. We all had no experience with polyamory. The throuple ended fairly quickly, with no one being at fault; the other two continued to date but broke up not too long afterward.

2023 April 21, Kwame Anthony Appiah, “Our Throuple Fell Apart. What Are the Rules of the Breakup?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

But among all the throuples, polycules and nesting partners, there exists another category of polyamory that still throws many for a loop: solo polyamory, or having concurrent intimate relationships while maintaining independence.

2024 August 2, Gina Cherelus, “You’re ‘Solo Poly’? So … You’re Single?”, in The New York Times:

“Honeybee, if you stare at that dividend check any harder, we're gonna officially be a throuple.” [chuckles] “I'm in.”

2024 May 17, Thomas Reyes, “The Mighty Pucks Adventure” (0:35 from the start), in The Great North, season 4, episode 6, spoken by Wolf Tobin (Will Forte):

(neologism) Three individuals engaged in a romantic or sexual relationship.


triple time

(music) A rhythm or time with three beats per bar: one accented followed by two unaccented.


trination

(Catholicism) In the Catholic Church, the offering up of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass three times on the same day by the same celebrant.


third space

third space (countable and uncountable, plural third spaces)

third spaces (plural)
Third Space (alternative)

Sense “without cultural distinctions” coined by Indian critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha in the context of his hybridity theory.

coin

Third space cannot be produced by the simple transmutation of an excess corporate profit into a charitable "gift": tainted money remains suspect unless it is transformed by a self-consious philanthropic effort.

2000, Jon Van Til, Growing Civil Society: From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space, →ISBN:

While some have begun to define the concept of third space, the ever-changing nature of third space theory is a constant roadblock for scholars in this area.

2008, Living in Multiple Worlds, →ISBN, page 30:

It is the lived condition of crossing borders and existing in the realm of both/and together that allows for the conscious movement into the creative terrain of third space.

2012, Adela C. Licona, Zines in Third Space: Radical Cooperation and Borderlands Rhetoric, →ISBN, page 11:

However, this presupposes that hybrid third spaces are not conceptualized purely as spaces of mixing two or more influences on a level playing field; there are differences in conceptual power in intercultural contacts.

2014, Arnd Witte, Blending Spaces, →ISBN:

A state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.


three-phase

By the end of the year all new electrification projects were virtually complete and conversion of the remaining three-phase 3,700V a.c. sections to 3,000V d.c. was well in hand.

1963 January, “Beyond the Channel: Italy”, in Modern Railways, page 62:

(electricity) Using three separate alternating currents of the same voltage at different phases.

трифазен

using three separate alternating currents


Three Kingdoms

I deeply regretted having to miss seeing Hsing-ping, a very old town built by the ruler of the Wu Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period of the third century.

1977, Yee Chiang, “Kuei-lin and Yang-shuo”, in China Revisited, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 155:

(historical) The tripartite division of China between the states of Wei (魏 (Wèi)), Shu (蜀 (Shǔ)), and Wu (吳／吴 (Wú)), during AD 220–280, following the Han dynasty and preceding the Jin dynasty.


tri-D

tri-di (alternative)
tri-dee (alternative)
tridee (alternative)

They were still engaged in their mental game of tri-D chess, whispering moves back and forth when they assumed Captain Gold wasn't listening.

2007, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Star Trek: Corps of Engineers: Aftermath, page 452:


bad things come in threes

Rooted in human predispositions for such cognitive biases as pareidolia and superstition.

If one unfortunate event has already occurred, a second and third are likely to occur; if two, a third should be expected.

لا تأتى المصائب فرادى

several unfortunate events usually occur together


three-wheel

a three-wheel forklift


three stops short of Dagenham

en-adj

three stops short of Dagenham (not comparable)

/ˌθɹiː stɒps ˈʃɔːt əv ˈdæɡən(ə)m/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-three stops short of Dagenham.wav

/ˌθɹi stɑps ˈʃɔɹt əv ˈdæɡənəm/

The term refers to the location of Barking station on the District line of the London Underground, which is three stops west of Dagenham Heathway tube station, in allusion to the phrase barking mad.

If you don't already insist on the word "unrefined" being on your bags of sugar, I am willing to bet that you will from this day forth, unless you: a) suffer from a particularly virulent inability to be influenced for the better by anyone or anything; b) are three stops short of Dagenham (check it out on a Tube map); or c) are so uninterested in sourcing good ingredients that you shouldn't be let loose in the kitchen.

2001 March 15, Tamasin Day-Lewis, “So wonderfully unrefined”, in Charles Moore, editor, The Daily Telegraph, London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:

[...] Floral Highnotes brilliantly combined opera and flower-arranging in what can only be described as a performance that was three stops short of Dagenham. Which is to say, for those not au fait with the London Underground, Barking.

2010 April 18, Robert Epstein, “Britain’s got plenty of exhibitionists, but has it got talent?”, in The Independent, London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-06-04:

He winked at me. ‘Now, my friend, I’m three stops short of Dagenham.’ / ‘Three stops short of Dagenham?’ I asked. / Bert roared with laughter. ‘Barking, mate,’ he said. ‘I’m fucking barking.’

2011, Jimmy Frazier, “Barry’s Nose”, in Nurse! Nurse!: A Student Nurse’s Story, London: Constable & Robinson, →ISBN:

If you invest in a business where even they say they won't make money, you're three stops short of Dagenham.

2011 May 22, Justin Urquhart Stewart, “Money briefing: May 22”, in The Times, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC:

On the other side of the room, a crowd has gathered around a box of chocolate cupcakes filled with Marmite from chic London bakery LOLA's. It sounds three stops short of Dagenham (Barking), but, strangely, it works.

2014 June 19, Emma Hughes, “Town Mouse on some Cupcakes with a Difference”, in Mark Hedges, editor, Country Life, London: TI Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-08-08:

If you told even the most loyal residents of Barking that their station was a masterpiece they’d probably think you were three stops short of Dagenham.

2019 March 1, “Evening Standard comment: […] Barking is just bellissimo”, in George Osborne, editor, Evening Standard, London: Evening Standard, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-04-01:

Barking station
Dagenham Heathway tube station
District line
London Underground


tertiary student

en-noun

tertiary student (plural tertiary students)


holy trinity

Alluding to the Holy Trinity that Trinitarian Christians worship.

It includes the Cajun-Creole holy trinity— onions, celery, and bell peppers.

AA simplified description of any Cajun dish based on roux is to make the roux, add the holy trinity and cook for a few minutes, [...]

2007, Terri Pischoff Wuerthner, In a Cajun Kitchen, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 5:

This beefed-up skillet sauté with the Cajun holy trinity of aromatic vegetables will appeal to the hearty meat-and-potatoes crowd.

2016, George Graham, Acadiana Table, Harvard Common Press, →ISBN, page 98:

Alternative letter-case form of Holy Trinity (“three main ingredients of Cajun cuisine”).


Three Amigos

From three + amigo. From Spanish amigo (“friend”), and there being three of them.

(informal, Canada, US, politics) The North American Leaders Summit.

NORAD

North American Aerospace Defense Command


Big Three

the Big Three (canonical)
big three (alternative)

Any group of three major or largest corporations in a given industry, especially when such a small group has oligopoly or near-oligopoly; as:

(US) The three major traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: CBS (the Columbia Broadcasting System), NBC (the National Broadcasting Company), and ABC (the American Broadcasting Company)


Three Principles of the People

Calque of Chinese 三民主義 /三民主义 (sānmínzhǔyì)

cal

(historical) The political philosophy espoused by Sun Yat-sen and the Chinese Nationalist Party.


thruppenny

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, informal, dated) threepence


head

one for the money, two for the show, three to make ready, and four to go

“Yes, I'll make Simpledoria get out of the way. Come here, Simpledoria. Now, Bill, put your heels together on the edge of the walk. That's right. All ready? Now then! One for the money—two for the show—three to make ready—and four for to GO!” Another silence. “By jingo, Bill Hammersley, you've beat me! Ha, ha! That was a jump! What say?”

1909, Booth Tarkington, Beasley's Christmas Party, New York: Harper & Brothers, pages 22–23:

And then they swung him back and forth, and back and forth, saying: "One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready, and four to go." And up they tossed him into the air.

2007, William Bernard McCarthy, Cinderella in America, page 268:

A countdown prior to exerting some effort, such as launching a burden or running a race.


devil's triangle

en-noun

devil's triangle (plural devil's triangles)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-devil's triangle.wav

Used of an area, the term is connected to the (capitalized, Atlantic) Devil's Triangle

The two major oil crises the world suffered during the 1970s, the relatively long economic stagnation in the advanced world, and the devil's triangle of high inflation, deep unemployment, and balance of payments pressure which bedevils most […]

1982, Asian Perspective, volumes 6-7, page 61:

The most pathetic things were the tiny ones, barely balanced, almost drowning in that devil's triangle of hard kitsch, classic tristesse, and real confession: Solitary Confinement, a small hut on a hill, and For Charlie Parker, a bird looking into the ...

1991, Arts Magazine, volume 66, page 93:

Activation of this "devil's triangle" may be the core of the pathophysiological process of PQ toxicity (4, 6). Furthermore, PQ itself, ROS and peroxynitrite induce intracellular transcription factors such as nuclear factor (NF)-kB and activator protein- ...

2008, Turgut Topal, “Establishing the Use of Melatonin as an Adjuvant Therapeutic Against Paraquat-Induced Lung Toxicity in Rats”, in Experimental Biology and Medicine, page 1133:

High levels of NO with excess O₂- and high levels o ONOO⁻ are referred to as a devil's triangle. Melatonin is currently the only antioxidant that is able to combat all aspects this devil's triangle (Korkmaz et al. 2009).

2018, Chuanhai Cao, Sarvadaman Pathak, Kiran Patil, Antioxidant Nutraceuticals: Preventive and Healthcare ..., page 16:

A set of three things considered dangerous.

devil's threesome
devil's threesome#English


tryzub

Borrowed from Ukrainian тризу́б (tryzúb, “trident”), from три (try, “three”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”)) + зуб (zub, “tooth”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth; row of teeth; peg”)). See three, comb.

der

All princes of the Kievan period had a common heraldic emblem: the Trident (Tryzub), which in various forms can be traced all the way to the second century of the new era, as archeological findings show.

1962, Isidore Nahayewsky, “The Kingdom of Halich-Volynia”, in History of Ukraine, Philadelphia, Pa.: “America” Publishing House of the “Providence” Association of Ukrainian Catholics in America, →OCLC, page 108:

The community jumped on the group [a band]. […] Many have been trivial criticisms: directed at their use of English lyrics; their ostensible desecration of Ukrainian music (such as the punked up versions of Ногу, Ногу and Volya, and their use of a tryzub in the Pyrih logo – a punker kozak in dark glasses puffing on a pipe.

1981 March, Sonia Maryn, “New Gig Has ’Em Gagging”, in Студент: Газета Украінського Студентства Канади [Student: Hazeta Ukrainsʹkoho Studentstva Kanady, Student: Canada’s Newspaper for Ukrainian Students], volume 13, number 69, Edmonton, Alta.: Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8, column 2:

The tryzub, which literally means "trident," is the Ukrainian national symbol and is by far the most common design found on the stones [in American cemeteries]. […] Other tryzubs have an upward pointed sword for the central part of the trident. The most common form of the tryzub is made of intertwined lines forming a never-ending loop. Many tryzubs are part of various emblems, such as the emblem for the Ukrainian National Republic of 1918 and emblems for various Ukrainian military divisions.

1993, Thomas E. Graves, “Keeping Ukraine Alive through Death: Ukrainian-American Gravestones as Cultural Markers”, in Richard E. Meyer, editor, Ethnicity and the American Cemetery (Material Culture), Bowling Green, Oh.: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, →ISBN, page 42:

From flag-toting pedestrians, to bumperstickers, to makeshift fliers, to buttons (znachki), the national symbol of Ukraine, the tryzub, and the Ukrainian blue-and-yellow flag were everywhere apparent.

1996, Catherine Wanner, “Nationalism on Stage: Music and Change in Soviet Ukraine”, in Mark Slobin, editor, Returning Culture: Musical Changes in Central and Eastern Europe, Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, →ISBN, page 150:

Now that Ukraine is an independent nation, the government and people are reviving Ukraine's traditions. One of these traditions is the symbol of the tryzub, or trident—a three-pronged spear. According to Ukraine's Constitution, the national emblem is a gold trident on a blue background. This symbol has been used in Ukraine since the first century a.d. Later, princes of Ukraine sealed important papers with the trident symbol.

2001, Patricia K. Kummer, “Reclaiming Ukraine’s Identity”, in Ukraine (Enchantment of the World; Second Series), New York, N.Y.: Children’s Press, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 15:

The tryzub, or "trident," originated as the royal crest of Ukrainian Grand Prince Volodymyr in the 10th century. […] It was adopted as the national seal of Ukraine in 1991 upon the declaration of Ukrainian independence after the dissolution of the USSR. Here Volodymyr's tryzub with a cross was refurbished […] and was reattached to the Ukrainian Hall of SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Carnegie.

2009, Stephen P. Haluszczak, “Church and Community: A Connection from Ages to Ages”, in Ukrainians of Western Pennsylvania (Images of America), Charleston, S.C., Chicago, Ill.: Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN, image caption, page 66:

She got up to look at all the different Ukrainian items. There were gold and silver Tryzubs, Ukrainian Lacquere wooden beads, Ukrainian gold chains called rose gold.

2013 June 14, E[rin] J. Sankey, “Fun”, in Fire and Ice, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 261:

“That is Ukraine symbol,” Sofiya said in surprise. “Look,” She took the pendant and showed it to Craig, “the Tryzub, the symbol of Ukraine. Olena said her mother gave on her sixteenth birthday.” She sobbed. Under the bright lights, the silver gleamed.

2013 July, I. C. Enger, “Olena”, in Green Ice: A Lake House Mystery, Hanford, Calif.: Oak Tree Press, →ISBN, page 155:


three fries short of a Happy Meal

en-adj

three fries short of a Happy Meal (not comparable)

one fry short of a Happy Meal
one fry short of a Happy Meal#English

Alternative form of one fry short of a Happy Meal.


Sansha

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 三沙 (Sānshā, literally “three sands”), from the three areas of Nansha (南沙 (Nánshā, literally “south sands”)), Xisha (西沙 (Xīshā, literally “west sands”)) and Zhongsha
(中沙 (Zhōngshā, literally “central sands”)).

zh-l

In 2007 Beijing established the new Sansha municipality in Hainan Province, which has jurisdiction over three islets that Vietnam claims in the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos. This led to large-scale protest demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi.

2009, Martin Jacques, When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 294:

As recently as June 2012, Vietnam passed a maritime law reasserting its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands and delimiting its maritime claims for both.²²⁰ On the same day, in response to this challenge to its claimed sovereignty, China upgraded the status of Sansha City. Vietnam and the Philippines expectedly protested but, unusually, so did the United States.²²¹

2014 June, Clarence J. Bouchat, The Paracel Islands and U.S. Interests and Approaches in the South China Sea, Carlisle, PA: United States Army War College Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 42:

The PRC has also used lawfare to bolster its territorial claims in the South China Sea by designating the village of Sansha, located on the disputed Paracel Islands, as a Hainan Prefecture in an attempt to extend PRC control far into the region.

2020, Kerry K. Gershaneck, Political Warfare: Strategies for Combating China’s Plan to “Win without Fighting”, Quantico, VA: Marine Corps University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 20:

On Saturday it said it had established an administrative district on the Paracel islands and another on the Spratly islands. The two districts are under the control of China’s Sansha city, according to China Global Television Network.
“The establishment of the so-called Sansha City and related activities seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty,” Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement.

2020 April 19, “Vietnam protests Beijing's expansion in disputed South China Sea”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 2020-04-20:

A prefecture-level city of Hainan, China (claimed areas encompass areas administered or claimed by Brunei, China (PRC), Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan (ROC), and Vietnam).


good things come in threes

If a fortunate event has already occurred twice, a third fortunate event is likely to occur.

ei kahta ilman kolmatta

several fortunate events usually occur together


Sanmenxia

c. late 20th c., from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 三門峽 /三门峡 (Sānménxiá).

San-men-hsia (alternative)
Sanmenhsia (alternative)

China's largest hydroelectric station is under construction at Sanmensia, and will supply power to the industrial centers of Loyang, Sian and Chengchow.

[1961 January [1960], “Basic Shifts in the Structure and Distribution of China's Industry”, in Soviet Geography: Review & Translation, volume II, number 1, New York: American Geographical Society, sourced from Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, seriya geografiya, 1960, No. 2, Pages 28-32 (Вестник Московского университета), translation of original by I. Kh. Ovdiyenko (in Russian), →ISSN, →OCLC, page 52:

Several vehicles were reported to have fallen from the elevated section of the highway after a truck laden with fireworks exploded, severely damaging a roughly 80-meter (262-foot) section of the road.
The incident occurred near the city of Sanmenxia, to the east of Xi'an, in the inland, eastern province of Henan.

2013 February 1, “China highway collapse”, in Deutsche Welle, archived from the original on 2024-02-02:

Law enforcement in the central Chinese city of Sanmenxia, along the Yellow River, ran a system that over the course of a month this year screened whether residents were Uighurs 500,000 times.

2019 April 14, Paul Mozur, “One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-04-14, Technology:

A prefecture-level city of Henan, China.


triple-headed

triple-headed eagle


scalar triple product

en-noun

scalar triple product (plural scalar triple products)

(mathematics) The dot product of one of the three vectors with the cross product of the other two.


third place

Coined by American urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989.

coin

The “third place” is a public, social place where you spend time that is neither home nor work. Whether it is publicly run, like a library, or a commercial venture, it is, above all, shared – a site of community-building and interaction with others.

2018 September 4, Elle Hunt, “Tell us about your 'third place' – where you connect with your community”, in The Guardian:

The rise of mobile and drive-through along with lives lived online raises questions about the role of coffee houses as a “third place” where people find community.

2025 June 14, Gregory Meyer, “Starbucks hopes to achieve much needed caffeine boost by hiring more baristas”, in FT Weekend, Companies & Markets, page 11:

(urban studies, sociology) A social space separate from the two usual social environments of home (“first place”) and the workplace (“second place”), such as a bar or public library.


circumtriple

(astrophysics) orbiting around three stars or other centers.


threeven

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-threeven.wav

Blend of three + even (“divisible by two”).

blend

(mathematics, informal) Divisible by three.


three-banded courser

en-noun

three-banded courser (plural three-banded coursers)

Rhinoptilus cinctus
Rhinoptilus cinctus#Translingual

Rhinoptilus cinctus, a species of courser bird.


three-striped ground squirrel

three-striped ground squirrel (plural three-striped ground squirrels)

Lariscus insignis, a species of striped ground squirrel.


Tate's three-striped dasyure

Tate's three-striped dasyure (plural Tate's three-striped dasyures)

Myoictis wavicus, a species of New Guinean striped dasyure marsupial.


triunitarianism

Triunitarianism (alternative)
tri-unitarianism (alternative)
Tri-unitarianism (alternative)
Tri-Unitarianism (alternative)

(theology) Trinitarianism; the Christian doctrine which asserts that God's nature is triune.


LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-3some.wav

Lookin for any guys who are lookin for someone to join for a 3some. Pics appreciated. Yours gets mine!

2000 January 3, Jay, “West Yorks 3somes”, in uk.adverts.personals.gay-lesbian-bi (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-23:

I am looking for a discreet, couple for a 3some (MFM) I am 37, 5'7",175lbs, Latin, educated, clean, safe, professional, straight, married male, but swing alone.

2001 September 2, nice...@lycos.com, “(909) (714) Male seeking couple for a 3some”, in alt.swingers.california (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-23:

Last week I had a 3some with a HB9 with another friend, not my wingman.

2001 November 20, Franco, “Seduction before a 3some: the ad we put”, in alt.seduction.fast (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-23:


triple entendre

triple entendre (plural triple entendres)

triple entendres (plural)
triple-entendre (alternative)

Pseudo-Gallicism. Based on double entendre.

In a triple entendre of the highest order, Linnell summarizes the song.

1998 July 1, Christopher M. Stangl, “"Snail Shell" interp: Quetzacoatl's Cock Tease”, in alt.music.tmbg (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:

Actually, that a triple entendre! And speaking of triple entendres ...

2003 May 21, Zevra and his little green guy, “The secret to being funny”, in alt.humor (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:

A triple-entendre, if you will; 'purloined', as in out in the open and a way to change the subject title without losing the thread. The third part of the entendre was that anything is new if perspective can be shifted.

2004 July 28, naismith, “An Open Letter To Leesa”, in alt.religion.wicca (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:

Pretty much agree with you and Pete on this one... that and the fact that every few months, a few of my friends and I get into a discussion of whether or not one of the verses from 'Grindin' constitutes a proper triple entendre...
"Them days I wasn't able/Abel, there was always cane/'caine/Kane"
...good stuff to anger and annoy any literary types you know...

2005 April 17, R. Stewart, “Clipse are good rappers, discuss”, in rec.music.hip-hop (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:

'Tout de suite' is a french phrase meaning in a hurry and pronounced the same as the english 'toot sweet'. Hence it bilingual triple entendre.

2014 August 30, Siri Crews, “Think Like a Rock”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), retrieved 2022-06-05:

(humorous) A phrase that has three meanings, especially where some meanings are innocent and literal, the other(s) risqué, bawdy, or ironic; an innuendo.


throdd

(mathematics, informal) Not divisible by three.


three stars

(ice hockey, US, Canada) The three best players in a game as chosen by a third party.


threefer

Shortened form of three-for-one or three-in-one, modeled after twofer.

Thus, it was interesting to see that when the ISO 55001 Asset Management Standard was released last year, it also looks for an asset-management program to deliver its own twofers and threefers.

2015 February 18, Ken Bannister, “From Our Perspective: Revisiting the Power of Twofers and Threefers”, in Efficient Plant, archived from the original on 2024-12-13:

Something sold at a discount of three for the price of one.

We were so sure, some among us, anyway, that we would have two locals fighting for the big prize in November: the Republican former mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, and the Democratic junior senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton. We even prepared for a threefer in case the present mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, he of ever-evolving party status, jumped into the race because he figured the rest of America couldn’t do without him.

2008 February 19, Clyde Haberman, “New Yorker in the White House? Seems Like a Long Shot Now”, in The New York Times:

“It’s a threefer, not a twofer,” she said, holding a clutch-within-a-clutch that costs $109.90 and can be worn three ways.

2012 November 29, Eric Wilson, “Shopping at the Plaza”, in The New York Times:

"I'm so busy talking to him and Jennifer Aniston about doing a threefer, if you will," Barrymore told "Entertainment Tonight." "I really want to make it happen. Timing is everything."

2024 May 26, Gabriele Regalbuto , Ashlyn Messier, “Adam Sandler's friends and the films they've starred in opposite the actor”, in Fox News:

Something that has three functions or elements.


Golden Trio

These characters are close friends, and are some of the most prominent characters in Harry Potter.

The trio of Harry Potter characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Watson
Rupert Grint


trikirion

Ultimately from Ancient Greek τρικήριον (trikḗrion).

A liturgical candlestick holding three candles, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches.