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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.
Here's why. The strike of the match would alert an enemy sniper of the soldiers' presence. As the match burned to light the second cigarette, the sniper would have time to aim his rifle. Finally, as the third cigarette lit up, the sniper could shoot the third smoker. Another theory, as is often with the number three, has to do with the Holy ...
Three On a Match The „Three on a match‟ superstition has been around a long time. I certainly grew up with it—I saw it referred to in movies; I heard people refer to it in passing. It seemed pretty cut and dry as to how it started, and it made sense, so I never questioned it any further. But...
8: Three to a Match. Sharing a match to light multiple cigarettes makes perfect sense, but when you're a soldier in the battlefield, it can quickly get you killed. The superstition that three to a match will leave one soldier dead dates back to the Crimean War [source: Webster]. Striking a match would alert enemy snipers to your presence, which ...
- Bambi Turner
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- Superstition refers to a practice or belief that ignores reason and science, and is generally associated with old cultural or religious ideas about...
- People belonging to different cultures believe that whistling at night can cause bad luck or attract evil spirits. Similarly, there is a superstiti...
- Superstitious beliefs may promote illogical attitudes and irrational decision-making. For others, it may be connected to mental health conditions s...
- There are many good omens that people believe in. Examples include finding a four-leaf clover or horseshoe, having an itchy palm and sneezing three...
Aug 27, 2023 · The origins of the belief in bad luck coming in threes are difficult to trace definitively. One theory suggests that the superstition emerged during the Crimean War, where soldiers were warned against lighting three cigarettes from the same match to avoid being spotted by the enemy. Another theory connects the belief to Russian funeral rituals ...
- Howstuffworks
If three soldiers were smoking cigarettes during the dark hours of the night then superstition held that one of them was going to die. This is because they believed that striking the match on the box would alert the enemy to the presences of the soldiers and as the matched burned to light the second cigarette the enemy would have time to aim ...
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Jun 29, 2017 · The bad luck of ‘three strikes of a match’ comes from trench warfare. If a match is alight long enough for three men to light their cigarettes, this is sufficient time to be spotted by the enemy, pin-point their position and launch an attack. On the battlefield, forbidding ‘three strikes of a match’ sounds like sound advice, rather than ...
