three-pointadj.
1. Marked with three points; spec. designating a grade of point blanket (see point n.1 18).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > bedclothes > [adjective] > of or like blanket > types of blanket
three-point1921
1855 J. H. Chambers in Contrib. Hist. Soc. Montana (1940) X. 116 We have..30 prs. 3 pt. blkts 20 Pr W 20 1 Blkt 10 blue blkt 18 Scan & 25 Hudson Bay blkts.]
1921 Outing Nov. 82/1 Hudson Bay blankets run as follows: Three point, 60 × 72 inches, double, weight, 81/ 4 lbs.; 31/ 2 point, 63 × 81 inches, double, weight, 10 lbs.; 4 point, 72 × 90 inches, double, weight, 12 lbs. ‘Points’ refer to the markings on the blankets and indicate their size.
1948 Beaver June 21/2 The simple voyageur Leger lost only a three-point blanket..a portage strap, a pair of French shoes.
2. At three points; with contact or support at three points; spec. of an aircraft landing: in which all three wheels, or two wheels and the tail skid, touch the ground simultaneously.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [adjective] > landing with all three wheels on ground
three-point1909
the world > space > distance > nearness > [adjective] > contiguous > of or relating to > with contact at three points
three-point1909
society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > landing > with respect to wheels on ground
three-point1909
wheel landing1928
wheelbarrowing1977
1909 Westm. Gaz. 9 Nov. 5/1 What is actually achieved by the Rolls-Royce plan is to make a three-point suspension without complication.
1918 R. Frost Let. 24 Oct. (1972) 39 You have to learn to make a ‘three-point landing’ that is on your two wheels and skid simultaneously.
1953 C. A. Lindbergh Spirit of St. Louis ii. vi. 266 Boy, he always makes 'em three-point!
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 15 Mar. 103 It connects to any modern tractor by the three-point hitch..and the category shaft.
1969 Gloss. Terms Dentistry (B.S.I.) 78 Three-point contact, a term used to indicate that when the jaws are in eccentric position there is a minimum of three points of occlusal contact, as widely spaced as possible.
1971 Power Farming Mar. 15/4 Hitching up an implement to the three-point-linkage could be both difficult and dangerous.
1977 New Yorker 4 July 42/1 He came in on final, flared, and made a three-point full-stall landing.
3. In surveying, navigation, etc.: involving the measurement of three known points to determine one's position.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > position or situation > [adjective] > ascertaining or determining position > by specific means
three-point1900
1900 H. M. Wilson Topogr. Surveying ix. 185 The three-point problem calls for the finding of distances from an unknown and occupied point to three others whose relative positions and distances are known.
1960 E. L. Delmar-Morgan Cruising Yacht Equipm. & Navigation 18 The best..fix obtainable in coastal navigation is the three-Point Fix... Here three identified objects are required, and either the sextant is used to measure the angles or, less accurately, by [sic] compass bearings.
4. At or by means of three points or by the three point problem of fixing a point (of observation, etc.) by trigonometrical calculation or by the station pointer.
ΚΠ
1909 Westm. Gaz. 11 Nov. 5/2 The idea of the three-point suspension principle is carried throughout the whole design of the Ford cars.
1928 C. F. S. Gamble Story N. Sea Air Station i. 33 If the sea were very rough, even the best ‘three-point’ alighting would sometimes end in disaster.
5. three-point turn, a method of turning a vehicle round in a narrow space, whereby the vehicle moves in three arcs, forwards, backwards, then forwards again.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > movement of vehicles > [noun] > specific turning made by motor vehicle
left turn1929
right turn1953
three-point turn1957
right1969
wheelie1973
1957 C. Smith Case of Torches xiii. 152 I switched on the motor..and did a three-point turn.
1976 ‘Z. Stone’ Modigliani Scandal iii. i. 114 He did a three-point turn on the narrow road.
Derivatives
three-pointer n. (a) a three-point landing; (b) a three-point turn.
ΚΠ
1932 D. Garnett Rabbit in Air iii. 106 This time the wind took off the extra height just as planned and with an almost dead machine made a perfect three-pointer.
1965 P. M. Hubbard Hive of Glass i. 12 I did a copy-book three-pointer, drove back to the main street.
1976 B. Lecomber Dead Weight i. 21 The Gemini rumbles on to the ground in a neat three-pointer.
Draft additions December 2005
three-pointer n. Sport a basket, goal, or other method of scoring worth three points.
ΚΠ
1924 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram 21 Nov. 19/6 So far the Crimson has shown no drop kicker who can consistently boot three-pointers.
1962 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) 5 Apr. 60/6 Kansas City also made just one three pointer and was outshot from the floor by three baskets.
2002 Times (Nexis) 20 Feb. Nessler,..with a pocket of red British stones to aim at, slewed her shot, leaving Martin a relatively simple task to make it a three-pointer for Britain.
Draft additions December 2005
Basketball. Designating a basket worth a score of three points; designating the arc-shaped line on each side of the court behind which such baskets must be shot.
ΚΠ
1961 Valley Independent (Monessen, Pa.) 12 May 12/2 Braun is a good set shot and with the three-point shot in our league he could become a very high scorer.
1989 Official NBA Basketball Encycl. 163/1 They adopted the three-point basket, for shots from beyond 22 feet along the baseline and 23 feet 9 inches at the top of the key.
1998 Chicago Tribune 15 Mar. iii. 7/4 He took Jenkins' touch pass from about 5 feet away, gathered himself and let fly from beyond the three-point arc.
2004 Sports Illustr. (Electronic ed.) 22 Nov. 68 A defense must find..a player with the lateral quickness to move in a flash from the low block to the three-point line.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online June 2020).
> as lemmas
three-point
three-point adj.
<
adj.1900as lemmas