Home › Glossary › Letter T

Third degree

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An idiomatic phrase referring to intense, prolonged, and aggressive questioning or interrogation, often designed to extract information or confessions through persistent pressure and scrutiny.

Detailed Definition
Third degree means intense questioning, interrogation, or pressure to reveal information. In poetry, the idiom can describe police questioning, family suspicion, jealous lovers, school discipline, or self-scrutiny. It suggests that questions can become a form of heat or punishment, not merely a search for truth. A poet may use it to show power imbalance, guilt, fear, or the violence of demanding answers. The phrase is useful for dramatic dialogue and for exploring confession under pressure.
Example
Example in poetry:
A crime ballad might show the suspect receiving the third degree beneath a swinging lamp; In comic verse, the child gets the third degree over the missing biscuits; The phrase means intense questioning; A poet can use it for pressure, interrogation, or farce.
Additional Notes
The third degree means intense questioning or interrogation, often aggressive or relentless. In poetry, it can describe police pressure, parental suspicion, guilt, school discipline, or self-interrogation. The phrase has a legal and coercive atmosphere, making questions feel like heat or force. Students should ask whether the questioning seeks truth or power. It pairs well with lamps, chairs, sweat, closed rooms, and the vulnerability of being made to answer.
Also Known As
intense questioning
Skip to main content