[think tank]{n.} A company of researchers who spend their time developing ideas and concepts. •/The government hired a think tank to study the country’s need for coins, and was advised to stop making pennies./
[think twice]{v.} To think again carefully; reconsider; hesitate. •/The teacher advised Lou to think twice before deciding to quit school./ Compare: THINK BETTER OF.
[think up]{v.} To invent or discover by thinking; have a new idea of. •/Mary thought up a funny game for the children to play./
[third base]{n.} The base to be touched third in baseball. •/He reached third base standing up on a long triple./
[third class]{n.} 1. The third best or highest group; the class next after the second class. •/Mary won the pie-making contest in the third class, for the youngest girls./ 2. Mail that is printed, other than magazines and newspapers that are published regularly, and packages that are not sealed and weigh less than a pound. •/The company uses third class to mail free samples of soap./ 3. The least expensive class of travel. •/I couldn’t afford anything better than the third class on the ship coming home from France./ Compare: FIRST CLASS, SECOND CLASS.
[third-class(1)]{adj.} Belonging to the third class; of the third highest or best class. •/Much advertising is sent by third-class mall./ •/I bought a third-class airline ticket to Hawaii./
[third-class(2)]{adv.} By third class. •/How did you send the package? Third class./ •/We traveled third-class on the train./
[third degree]{n. phr.} A method of severe grilling used to extract information from an arrested suspect. •/"Why give me the third degree?" he asked indignantly. "All I did was come home late because I had a drink with my friends."/
[third sex]{n.}, {euphemism}, {slang}, {informal} Homosexual individuals who are either men or women. •/Billy is rumored to belong to the third sex./
[third world]{n.} 1. The countries not aligned with either the former U.S.S.R.-dominated Communist bloc or the U.S.A.-dominated capitalist countries. •/New Zealand made a move toward third country status when it disallowed American nuclear submarines in its harbors./ 2. The developing nations of the world where the industrial revolution has not yet been completed. •/Africa and the rest of the third world must be freed from starvation and illiteracy./
[this] See: OUT OF THIS WORLD.
[this and that] also [this, that, and the other] {n. phr.} Various things; different things; miscellaneous things. •/When the old friends met they would talk about this and that./ •/The quilt was made of this, that, and the other./
[this, that, and the other] See: THIS AND THAT.
[this is how the cookie crumbles] or [that’s how the cookie crumbles] {v. phr.}, {informal} That’s how things are; that’s life. •/It’s too bad about John and Mary getting divorced, but then that’s how the cookie crumbles./
[thither] See: HITHER AND THITHER.
[thorn in the flesh] or [thorn in one’s side] {n. phr.} Something that causes stubborn trouble; a constant bother; a vexation. •/The new voter organization soon became the biggest thorn in the senator’s side./ •/The guerrilla band was a thorn in the flesh of the invaders./
[though] See: AS IF or AS THOUGH.
[thought] See: FOOD FOR THOUGHT, PENNY FOR ONE’S THOUGHTS, PERISH THE THOUGHT, SECOND THOUGHT.
[thousand] See: BY THE DOZEN or BY THE THOUSAND.
[thrash out]{v. phr.} To discuss fully; confer about something until a decision is reached. •/They met to thrash out their differences concerning how to run the office./
[thread] See: HANG BY A THREAD.
[threat] See: TRIPLE THREAT.
[three-ring circus]{n.} A scene of much confusion or activity. •/The street was a three-ring circus of cars, people, noise, and lights./ •/It is a three-ring circus to watch that silly dog play./
[three sheets in the wind] or [three sheets to the wind] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Unsteady from too much liquor; drunk. •/The sailor came down the street, three sheets in the wind./
[thrill one to death] or [pieces] See: TICKLE PINK.
[throat] See: CUT ONE’S THROAT, FLY AT ONE’S THROAT, JUMP DOWN ONE’S THROAT, LUMP IN ONE’S THROAT, RAM DOWN ONE’S THROAT and SHOVE DOWN ONE’S THROAT.
[through a hoop] See: JUMP THROUGH A HOOP.
[through and through]{adv.} Completely; entirely; whole-heartedly. •/Bob was a ball player through and through./ •/Mary was hurt through and through by Betty’s remarks./ Compare: OUT-AND-OUT.
[through hell and high water] See: HELL AND HIGH WATER.
[through one’s hat] See: TALK THROUGH ONE’S HAT.
[through one’s head] See: GET THROUGH ONE’S HEAD.
[through one’s mind] See: CROSS ONE’S MIND or PASS THROUGH ONE’S MIND.
[through one’s paces] See: PUT THROUGH ONE’S PACES.
[through street]{n.} 1. A street on which cars can move without stopping at intersections, but cars on streets crossing it have to stop at the intersection. •/You have to be especially careful crossing a through street./ •/Mr. Jones stopped his car when he came to the through street. He waited until there were no cars on it, and drove across it./ Contrast: STOP STREET. 2. A street that is open to other streets at both ends; a street that has a passage through it, so that it is not necessary to come back to get out of it. •/We thought we could get through to Main St. by going up a side street but there was a sign that said "Not a through street."/
[through the mill]{adv. phr.} 1. Experienced. •/You could tell immediately that the new employee had been through the mill./ 2. Through real experience of the difficulties of a certain way of life. •/Poor Jerry has had three operations in one year, and now he’s back in the hospital. He’s realty gone through the mill./ Compare: GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER.