three-line whip see under whip

threeˈ-man adjective (Shakespeare)

Worked or performed by three men

three-mastˈed adjective

three-mastˈer noun

A ship with three masts

three-mile limit noun

(in international law) the outer limit of the territorial waters around a state, extending to three nautical miles

threeˈ-monthly noun and adjective

Quarterly

threeˈ-nooked adjective (Shakespeare)

Three-cornered

threeˈ-pair or threeˈ-pair-of-stairs adjective

On a third floor

noun

A room so situated

threeˈ-part adjective

Composed in three parts or for three voices

three-partˈed adjective

1. Consisting of three parts
2. Parted in three
3. Divided into three nearly to the base

threeˈ-parts adverb

To the extent of three-quarters

threepence /threpˈ, thripˈ, thrupˈəns/ noun

Money, or a coin, of the value of three old pence

threepenny /threpˈ, thripˈ, thrupˈni or -ə-ni/ adjective

1. Sold or offered at threepence
2. Of little worth
3. Mean, vulgar

noun

A coin of the value of threepence (also threepenny bit or piece)

threepennyworth or threepenn'orth /thrē-penˈi-wərth, thrē-penˈərth/, also (chiefly Scot) threepˈenceworth noun

An amount of something costing threepence

three-per-centsˈ plural noun

Bonds or other securities paying three per cent interest, esp a portion of the consolidated debt of Great Britain

threeˈ-phase adjective (elec eng)

(of an electric supply system) in which the alternating potentials on the three wires differ in phase from each other by 120º

threeˈ-piece adjective

Comprising three parts, three matching pieces, etc

noun

Anything with three matching pieces, esp a suite of furniture

threeˈ-pile adjective

Having loops of three threads

noun (Shakespeare)

The finest kind of velvet

threeˈ-piled adjective

1. Three-pile
2. Piled three-high

threeˈ-ply adjective

Having three layers or strands

noun

Any material with three layers or strands

three-point landing noun (aeronautics)

A landing with all three wheels touching the ground at the same moment, a perfect landing

three-point turn noun

The process of turning a vehicle round to face in the opposite direction by moving it forward, reversing, then moving forward again, turning the steering-wheel appropriately

threeˈ-pound adjective

Costing or weighing three pounds

three-poundˈer noun

1. A thing that weighs three pounds
2. A gun that shoots a three-pound ball

threeˈ-pricker noun (RAF sl)

1. A three-point landing
2. Anything right or perfect

three-quarˈter adjective and adverb

1. To the amount of three-fourths
2. ( adjective) being three quarters of the normal size or length (used of beds, coats, etc)

noun

A three-quarter back

three-quarter back noun (rugby)

A player between halfbacks and full back

three-quarter face noun

An aspect between full face and profile

three-quarˈter-length adjective

(of a coat, sleeve, etc) being three quarters of the full length

three quarters noun

1. (a part equal to) three fourths of a whole
2. The greater part of something

three-ring circus noun

1. A circus with three rings in which simultaneous separate performances are given
2. A showy or extravagant event (figurative)
3. A confusing or bewildering scene or situation

threeˈscore noun and adjective

Sixty

three-sidˈed adjective

Having three sides

three-speed gear noun

A gear-changing device with three gear positions

threeˈ-square adjective

Having an equilateral triangle as a cross-section

three-starˈ adjective

1. (esp of a hotel) of a quality or rank denoted by three in a four- or five-star grading system
2. Of or being a lieutenant-general (US)

threeˈ-suitˈed adjective (Shakespeare)

Allowed three suits of clothes a year as a serving-man

threeˈ-volume adjective

In three volumes

threeˈ-way adjective

1. Giving connection in three directions from a centre
2. Involving three people or things

three-went way noun (dialect)

A place where three roads meet

three-wheelˈer noun

A vehicle having three wheels, esp a motor vehicle with two rear wheels and a single front wheel

the three R's see under R

the Three Wise Men see under magus

threescore and ten

Seventy

three times three

Three cheers repeated three times

whip /(h)wip/

noun

1. A lash with a handle for punishing or driving
2. A stroke administered by a whip or similar implement
3. An act of whipping or a whipping motion
4. A driver, a coachman
5. Someone who enforces the attendance and discipline of a political party
6. A call made on members of parliament to be in their places in readiness for an important division (called, according to the number of times the message is underlined as indication of urgency, three-line whip, etc; five-line whip is no longer used)
7. A whipper-in, the person who manages the hounds
8. A simple form of hoisting apparatus, a small tackle consisting of a single rope and block
9. A preparation of whipped cream, eggs, etc
10. A whipping or overcasting
11. (also, more usu, whipˈ-round) a collection of cash contributions made hastily among a group of people
12. An individual share in money collected in equal amounts
13. An instant (Scot)
14. An arm carrying a sail of a windmill
15. A long twig, slender branch or shoot
16. A fairground ride featuring cars that move with sudden jerks

transitive verb (whippˈing; whipped or (old) whipt)

1. To strike with a lash
2. To drive, or force to move, with lashes
3. To punish with lashes, or (loosely) by spanking
4. To strike in a manner suggesting a lash
5. To lash with sarcasm
6. To lash (eg a crowd) into an emotional state
7. To defeat, outdo (informal)
8. To stiffen (eg cream or egg whites) or make (eggs, etc) frothy, by rapid beating with a whisk or similar utensil
9. To keep (eg a party) together
10. To fly-fish
11. To overlay (eg one cord with another)
12. To bind round
13. To sew lightly
14. To overcast (eg a seam)
15. To move quickly, snatch (with up, away, out, etc)
16. To steal (informal)
17. To prepare at short notice (with up; informal)
18. To rouse (support, enthusiasm, etc; with up)

intransitive verb

1. To move nimbly
2. To move in the manner of a whiplash
3. To make a cast in fly-fishing

whipˈless adjective

whipˈlike adjective

whippˈer noun

1. Someone who or something that whips
2. An official who inflicts the penalty of whipping

whippˈiness noun

whippˈing noun

1. The action of lashing
2. Corporal punishment, esp with a whip or lash
3. A defeat
4. A binding of twine, eg at the end of a rope
5. Material for binding in this way
6. Overcasting

whippˈy adjective

1. Whiplike
2. Pliant
3. Supple

whipˈ-and-derrˈy noun

A hoisting apparatus consisting of a whip (qv above) and a derrick

whipˈbird noun

The coachwhip-bird

whipˈcat noun (old)

A tailor

whipˈcord noun

1. Cord for making whips
2. A fabric with a bold steep warp twill, used chiefly for dresses, suits and coats
3. A whiplike seaweed such as Chorda filum or Chordaria flagelliformis

adjective

(also whipˈcordy) like whipcord

whip graft noun

A graft made by fitting a tongue cut on the scion to a slit cut slopingly in the stock

whipˈ-graft transitive verb

whipˈ-grafting noun

whip hand noun

1. The hand that holds the whip
2. The advantage

whip handle noun

1. The handle or stock of a whip
2. An advantage

whipˈjack noun (old)

A whining beggar who pretended to be a sailor

whipˈlash noun

1. The lash of a whip
2. Something resembling or suggesting the lash of a whip or its action
3. (also whiplash injury) an injury to the neck caused by the sharp forwards-and-backwards wrenching it suffers in a vehicle collision

intransitive verb

To move like a whiplash

whippˈer-in noun

1. An assistant to a huntsman, who controls the hounds
2. An official whose job is to enforce the discipline of a political party, a whip (obsolete)
3. At any moment in a race, the horse in the last place (slang)
4. A little or young insignificant but pretentious or irritating person

whipping boy noun

1. A boy educated along with a prince and punished for the royal pupil's faults (historical)
2. Anyone on whom falls the odium of, or blame and punishment for, the shortcomings of others

whippˈing-cheer noun (obsolete; humorous)

Flogging

whipping cream noun

Cream with enough butterfat in it to allow it to be beaten stiff

whippˈing-post noun

1. A post to which offenders are tied to be whipped
2. The punishment itself

whippˈing-top (or whipˈ-top) noun

A top kept spinning by means of a whip

whip-round see n above.

whipˈsaw noun

A narrow saw for dividing timber lengthways, usu set in a frame and often worked by two people

transitive verb

1. To cut with a whipsaw
2. To have the advantage of at every point, defeat at every turn (slang)

whip scorpion noun

Any arachnid of the order Uropygi, slightly resembling true scorpions but having no sting and usu having a whiplike appendage at the rear of the body

whip snake noun

Any of various snakes resembling a whiplash, as Masticophis flagellum (the coachwhip snake) and species of Philodryas, etc

whip socket noun

A socket to hold the butt of a whip

whipˈstaff noun

A former steering device, a vertical wooden lever controlling a ship's rudder

whipˈstall noun (aeronautics)

A stall as the result of which the nose of the aircraft whips forward and down

intransitive verb and transitive verb

To go, or put, into such a stall

whipˈstitch noun

1. A small overcasting stitch
2. A hasty composition
3. A tailor
4. A kind of half-ploughing or raftering (dialect)

transitive verb and intransitive verb

To sew (something) using a whipstitch

whipˈstock noun

1. The rod or handle of a whip
2. In an oil well, a tapered steel wedge used to deflect the drill bit from a straight line

whipˈtail or whipˈtailed adjective

Having a long, slender tail

whip-top see whipping-top above.

whipˈworm noun

A parasitic worm of the genus Trichocephalus or Trichuris, with posterior end thick and anterior long and thin, found as a parasite in human intestines

fair crack of the whip

A reasonable or fair chance given to one to do something properly

whip and spur

With great haste

whip in

To act as a whipper-in

whip into shape

1. To get (a person or group) into a condition ready for action, etc by force or rigorous training
2. Generally, to reshape vigorously to one's satisfaction

whips of (Aust and NZ informal)

A large amount of

whip the cat (old)

1. To practise small economies
2. To work by the day as a dressmaker, tailor, etc, going from house to house
3. To idle
4. To play a practical joke