three (redirected from Threes)

*phony as a three-dollar bill and *queer as a three-dollar bill

phony; bogus. (*Also: as ~.) This guy's as phony as a three-dollar bill. The whole deal stinks. It's as queer as a three-dollar bill.

See also: bill

didn't exchange more than three words with someone

to say hardly anything to someone. (The number may vary.) I know Tom was there, but I am sure that I didn't exchange more than three words with him before he left. We hardly exchanged more than two words the whole evening. Sally and Liz didn't have enough time to exchange more than five words.

See also: didn't, exchange, more, word

like a three-ring circus

Fig. chaotic; exciting and busy. Our household is like a three-ring circus on Monday mornings. This meeting is like a three-ring circus. Quiet down and listen!

See also: circus, like

Moving three times is as bad as a fire.

Prov. If you move your household three times, you will lose or damage as many things as a fire in your house would have destroyed or damaged. Fred: The company is transferring me again. Ellen: But we can't make another move! Moving three times is as bad as a fire.

See also: bad, fire, moving, times

three bricks shy of a load

stupid; dense; shortchanged on intelligence. I would never say she was dense. Just three bricks shy of a load. Why do you act like you're three bricks shy of a load?

See also: brick, load, shy

three sheets in the wind and three sheets (to the wind); two sheets to the wind

Inf. intoxicated and unsteady. (Sheets are the ropes used to manage a ship's sails. It is assumed that if these ropes were blowing in the wind, the ship would be out of control.) He had gotten three sheets to the wind and didn't pay attention to my warning. By midnight, he was three sheets.

See also: sheet, wind

three squares (a day)

three nourishing meals a day. (With breakfast, lunch, and dinner considered the usual three meals.) I was glad to get back home to three squares. If I could limit myself to three squares, I could lose some weight.

See also: square

Three strikes and you are out.

Fig. Three chances and you are finished. (From baseball.) One more arrest for speeding and you lose your license. You know, three strikes and you're out.

See also: and, out, strike

Two is company, (but) three's a crowd. and Two's company(, three's a crowd).

Prov. A way of asking a third person to leave because you want to be alone with someone. (Often implies that you want to be alone with the person because you are romantically interested in him or her.) When Lucy followed Mark and Nora into the drawing room, Nora turned to her and said, "Two's company, but three's a crowd." Bill: Can I go to lunch with you and Tom? Jane: Two's company, three's a crowd, Bill.

See also: crowd, two

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a three-ring circus  (American & Australian)

a lot of noisy or confused activity It's a three-ring circus in that classroom - the kids can't possibly be learning anything.

See also: circus

be three sheets to the wind  (old-fashioned)

to be drunk Bobby was already three sheets to the wind when we arrived.

See also: sheet, wind

the three R's

reading, writing, and arithmetic (= mathematics) By the age of 6, all our pupils have a firm grasp of the three R's.