third degree

English

Etymology

Attested from 1900. The phrase, meaning "intense interrogation by police," likely refers to the Third Degree of Master Mason in Freemasonry, the ceremony for which included an interrogation. Alternatively, it reflects the practice of interrogation under torture, where three degrees of torture were recognised, of increasing intensity. In other contexts, three degrees of interrogation were recognised, with torture being the third degree. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

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Noun

third degree

1. (informal) Intensive rough interrogation in order to extract information or a confession

   When I came home at 4 a.m., my dad really gave me the third degree.

   • 2020, Jinee Lokaneeta, The Truth Machines, University of Michigan Press, →ISBN, page 168:

     In the book I use the terms "third degree" and "torture" interchangeably because "third degree" has become synonymous with torture and the interviewees often used them interchangeably.

Usage notes

Chiefly used in the expression give someone the third degree.

Translations

See also

• Spanish Inquisition

Further reading

• “the third degree” (US) / “the third degree” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “the third degree”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “the third degree”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “give somebody the third degree” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.

References