Give someone the third degree

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Meaning

Question someone intensely, aggressively, or at exhausting length. Current; now often hyperbolic rather than literal Regional use: United States, originating in New York policing.

Origin

The interrogation sense can be traced to 19th-century New York police chief Thomas F. Byrnes. In 1883 his method was called the third degree of initiation, and later reports associated it with coercion and torture. The name apparently alluded to the third degree of Freemasonry, whose initiation involved ritual questioning and simulated violence, although whether Byrnes himself was a Mason is not established.

Variants

  • put someone through the third degree
  • get the third degree
  • third-degree someone

Usage Examples

  • My aunt gave me the third degree about every guest at the party.
  • The auditors put the treasurer through the third degree over one missing invoice.

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