Search results
Three on a match (also known as third on a match or unlucky third light) is a purported superstition among soldiers during the Crimean War to World War II. The superstition goes that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes from the same match, one of the three would be killed or that the man who was third on the match would be shot.
Jan 30, 2000 · Meaning: bad luck. Origin: possibly WWI. A sniper would see a match, take aim at the second soldier lighting up, and pick off the third. People are superstitious about the number three anyway: "All good things come in threes. People still believe that good or bad luck may follow someone three times in a row.
The common phrase for lighting three cigarettes with one match is "three on a match." One of its origin theories dates back to World War I. If three soldiers decided to smoke cigarettes together after dark and lit their cigs from the same match, superstition held that at least one of them would end up dead.
Learn the meaning and origin of the phrase \"three on a match\", which means any action that is thought to cause bad luck. Find out how it relates to lighting cigarettes, broken mirrors, and horseshoes.
Jan 30, 2000 · In Reply to: Three on a match posted by ESC on January 30, 2000. My understanding is that this superstition arose during World War I. Most of the fighting took place in trenches, and when three people lit cigarettes from one match at night the illumination lasted long enough for the enemy to zero in on a target, hence it was bad luck. 2,500 ...
Three on a Match is an unusual set of contradictions. Disliked by most of its principles, it was loved by the censors. Denounced by critics and ignored at the box office, it’s become a cornerstone for serious cinema students when exploring the movies of the early 1930s.
a sports competition or event in which two people or teams compete against each other: a tennis match. a football / cricket match. We won / lost the match. Liverpool have a match with (= against) Blackburn next week. man/woman of the match UK. the person who has scored the most points or played the best in a match:
