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 recognized, of increasing intensity. In other contexts, three degrees of interrogation were recognised, with torture being the third degree. === Pronunciation === === Noun === third degree (informal) Intensive rough interrogation in order to extract information or a confession ==== 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 ===