third hand

noun

A tool used to squeeze caliper brakes against the rim of a wheel, as on a bicycle, thereby allowing adjustments to the brake cable.

“I heard the story from someone who got it from the horse's mouth. You're getting it third hand.”

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Meanings

nounthird hand (plural third hands)

plural third hands

  1. A tool used to squeeze caliper brakes against the rim of a wheel, as on a bicycle, thereby allowing adjustments to the brake cable.
  2. A source two steps removed from direct communication.
adjective
  1. Having been relayed by two intermediate sources.

    I heard the story from someone who got it from the horse's mouth. You're getting it third hand.

    1 more example

    So I have to find out my child is alive third-hand from the Alliance brass? Where the hell have you been?

    2010, BioWare, quoting Mom, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: You're alive???
  2. idiomaticNot new, having more than one previous owner.
Cite this entry
APA

third hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/third%20hand

MLA

“third hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/third%20hand. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “third hand,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/third%20hand.

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