at third hand

prepositional phrase

Indirectly, through a series of two intermediaries.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. Indirectly, through a series of two intermediaries.

    'I doubt if you will ever have met "Rainproof" Nogg,' wrote one about this time—a shrewd old lady whose Dutch-sounding name caused pushful young hostesses to prick up their ears even when it reached them at third hand.

    1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries
Cite this entry
APA

at third hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20third%20hand

MLA

“at third hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20third%20hand. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at third hand,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20third%20hand.

Source: at third hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.