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period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Third sex (euphemism, sl) - третий пол (о гомосексуали¬ стах и лесбиянках) Homosexual individuals who are either men or women: Billy is rumored to belong to the third sex. Third time lucky // Third time's the charm (Am) - в/на третий раз повезёт It seems a folk belief that, having had setbacks, one ought to persevere and not give up. Three seems to be the right number of times to try. It is also used as a good luck charm — hence the American version, third time's the charm. Why is the third time lucky? There are a few suggestions. The most common is that it alludes to the belief that, under English law, anyone who survived three attempts at hanging would be set free. This is probably from the story of John "Babbacombe" Lee who was a sailor convicted of murder in 1885. He was sentenced to hang at Exeter prison and three attempts to execute him all failed. The Home Secretary of the time, Sir William Harcourt, commuted the sentence to life imprisonment and Lee was later freed. He was known thereafter as "the man they couldn't hang" and went on to live a long life, dying sometime in the 1940s. Fascinating story though it is, the use of "third time lucky" predates it and thus it can't be the origin. Third/Fifth wheel - третий лишний; пятое колесо в те¬ леге An extra and unnecessary person or thing. This expression, which alludes to an unneeded wheel on a four-wheel vehicle, may have originated as long ago as 1631, when Thomas Dekker wrote "Match Me in London": Thou tiest but wings to a swift gray 72