Three-quarters of a Peck, subs. phr. (rhyming).—The neck: amongst experts three quarters and written '3/4.'
Three Stride Business, subs.
phr. (hurdle-racers').—Three
strides between each hurdle: the
crack style.
Three R's (The), subs. phr.
(common).—Reading, 'riting,
and 'rithmetic; a jesting toast
proposed by Sir William Curtis,
Lord Mayor of London in 1795,
at a dinner given by the Board of
Education.
Three Tens (The), subs. phr.
(military).—The 1st battalion
East Lancashire Regiment, late
The 30th Foot. Also The Triple
X's.
Three Sheets. See Sheets.
Threeswins, subs. (old).—Threepence.
Three-threads (or thirds),
subs. phr. (obsolete).—See quots.
c.1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Three-threads, half common Ale, and the rest Stout or Double Beer.
1698. Sorbière, Journey to London [Notes and Queries, 6 S. xii. 167]. He answered me that he had a thousand such sorts of liquors, as . . . Three Threads, Four Threads, old Pharaoh . . .
d.1704. Brown, Works, ii. 286. Ezekiel Driver . . . with too plentiful a morning's draught of three-threads and old Pharaoh, had the misfortune to have his cart run over him.
1874. Chambers Encyclop., s.v. Porter . . . Three threads is a corruption of three thirds, and denoted a draught, once popular, made up of a third each of ale, beer, and 'two-penny,' in contradistinction to 'half-and-half.' This beverage was superseded in 1722 by the very similar porter or 'entire.'
1881. Davies, Supplemental Glossary, s.v. Three-threads. Half common ale mixed with stale and double beer. [So also Ency. Dict.]
1899. Century Dict., s.v. Three . . . Three threads, a mixture of three malt liquors, formerly in demand, as equal parts of ale, beer, and twopenny.
Three-up, subs. phr. (streets').—A
gambling game. Three half-pennies
are 'skied' to a call: if
they do not 'fall' alike, the cry
is void, and the operation is repeated.
When the three coins
'come off' (i.e., fall alike), bets
are decided. If two play, it is
'up for up,' i.e., they toss and
cry alternately: if three or more
join in, it is a school, and one, a
'pieman,' cries to the halfpence of
the others until he loses, when
the winner of the toss becomes
'pieman' in turn: see School and
Schooling.
Three X's (The), subs. phr.
(military).—The 1st battalion
East Lancashire Regiment, late
The 30th Foot.
Threp (Thrip or Thrups), subs.
(old).—Three-pence (B. E. and
Grose).
1888. J. C. Harris [Harper's Mag., lxxvi. 703]. He was not above any transaction, however small, that promised to bring him a dime, where he had invested a thrip.
Thresher. Captain Thresher,
subs. phr. (obsolete).—In 1806
an Irish Catholic organization
was formed to resist the payment
of tithes: threats and warnings
were sent out signed 'Captain
Thresher.'
Throat. Throat occurs in a few
colloquialisms: e.g., To lie in
one's throat = to lie flatly: an
expression of extreme indignation;
to cut one another's
