triple

born on third base but believes (one) hit a triple

Said of one who was has enjoyed the benefits of a privileged upbringing but attributes their success solely to their own efforts. A: "His rich daddy set him up with a cushy executive job and all the resources he needed to make the business a success. From the way he goes on about it, though, you'd think he built the whole company out of nothing." B: "Just another guy who was born on third base but believes he hit a triple." So many kids at my prep school were born on third base but believe they've hit a triple. Like, they're not good students, but they somehow think they actually got into the school on their own merit. You'll like Dan because he's not one of those guys who was born on third base but believes he's hit a triple. He came from money, yeah, but he works really hard to keep his family's company going for the next generation.

See also: base, believe, born, but, hit, on, third, triple

triple

informal A serving of liquor containing three measures (shots). A: "Hard day at the office?" B: "You got that right, barkeep. Pour me a triple." If you keep drinking triples of vodka at that rate, you're going to be face down on the table by 9 o'clock!

triple threat

A person who is very skilled or knowledgeable in three different but related skills, abilities, or fields. She has degrees in law, business, and socioeconomics, so she'll be a real triple threat for our company. He's a brilliant actor, singer, and dancer—the classic triple threat!

See also: threat, triple

triple whammy

A combination of three different elements, circumstances, or actions that results in a particularly powerful force, outcome, or effect. Deregulation of the financial sector, securitization of huge amounts of various debt, and fluctuating national interest rates formed a triple whammy that sent the stock market crashing.

See also: triple, whammy

triple-bagger

1. In baseball, a hit of the ball that results in the batter being able to reach third base. A triple-bagger from Michelson puts his team within striking distance of a victory here today.

2. A hideously ugly person, i.e., one who would need to wear three bags over their head in order to conceal such ugliness. She had a few too many drinks and ended up going home with some triple-bagger who'd been leering at her all night at the bar. I know I'm not the prettiest person in the world, but I'm no triple-bagger or anything.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

triple threat

A person who is adept in three areas, as in She's a triple threat on the editorial staff-she can edit, write, and design pages. This term comes from football, where it signifies a player who is good at running, passing, and kicking. [c. 1920] Also see hat trick.

See also: threat, triple

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

triple

1. n. a large alcoholic drink containing three measures of hard liquor. One triple, but no more. I’m cutting down, remember?

2. Go to triple-bagger.

triple whammy

(ˈtrɪplæ ˈʍæmi)

n. a powerful treatment; a powerful shock. The market crash, the trade figures, and the death of the secretary of defense was a powerful triple whammy in Washington politics this week.

See also: triple, whammy

triple-bagger

1. and triple n. a hit in baseball that gets the batter to third base. Wilbur connected for another triple-bagger in the fifth.

2. n. a person whose ugly face is so frightful that three bags are required to conceal it. (see also double-bagger, coyote-ugly.) He’s worse than a triple-bagger—if that’s possible.

triple

verb

See triple-bagger

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.