a NURSERY RHYME (= an old song or poem for young children) . The rhyme goes: Three blind mice, three blind mice,/ See how they run, see how they run!/They all ran after the farmer's wife,/ who cut off their tails with a carving knife./Did you ever see such a thing in your life/As three blind mice?
an old children's story about three little pigs, each of whom builds a house of a different material, which the BIG BAD WOLF tries to blow down, saying "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down"
a nuclear power station in Pennsylvania in the US, where there was a serious accident in 1979. The people in charge managed to prevent a MELTDOWN (= when the nuclear material melts and burns through its containers), but the accident increased opposition to nuclear power in the US and prevented new power stations from being built.
(1844) a novel by Alexandre DUMAS, set in France in the 17th century, about three men called Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, who are members of a group of soldiers guarding Louis XIII, the king of France. They are very skilled at fighting with swords, and they have many exciting adventures with their friend d'Artagnan, who comes to Paris from the country and joins the Musketeers when he shows them what a good fighter he is.
three OPERA singers, José CARRERAS, Placido DOMINGO, and Luciano PAVAROTTI, who are very popular TENOR s (= men with high singing voices), and who have often appeared in concerts together and made records together