three R's

plural noun

1. reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic, regarded as the fundamentals of education.
2. the fundamentals, basic knowledge, or skills of any system or field:

   the three R's of good government.

three Rs

plural noun

1. the three Rs
   the three Rs the three skills regarded as the fundamentals of education; reading, writing, and arithmetic

Word History and Origins

Origin of three R's¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Word History and Origins

Origin of three R's¹

from the humorous spelling reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic

Idioms and Phrases

The fundamentals of education, as in It's a terrible school; the children are not even taught the three R's . It is widely believed that Sir William Curtis, an alderman who became Lord Mayor of London, once presented a toast to the three R's—reading, riting, and rithmetic—thereby betraying his illiteracy. In any event, the term was picked up by others and so used from the early 1800s on.