aller guten Dinge sind drei
German
editAlternative forms
edit- alle guten Dinge sind drei (due to incomprehension of the archaic genitive construction)
Etymology
editLiterally, “of all good things there are three”, suggestive inter alia of the Trinity.
Pronunciation
editProverb
edit- third time's a charm; but more general; used as a lighthearted justification for doing something a third time, for including a third person, for taking a third drink, etc.
- Synonym: dreimal ist Bremer Recht
- 1767, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Minna von Barnhelm[1], 1. Akt, 2. Szene:
- In meinem Leben hat mir das noch niemand gesagt. Noch eins, Herr Just; aller guten Dinge sind drei!
- No one has ever told me this in my life. One more thing, Mr. Just; all good things come in threes!
Further reading
edit- “aller guten Dinge sind drei” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- "aller guten Dinge sind drei" in Redensarten-Index