three-name

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English[edit]

Verb[edit]

three-name (third-person singular simple present three-names, present participle three-naming, simple past and past participle three-named)

  1. (US, slang) The act of vocatively referring to someone (usually a child in one's family) using their full legal name (first, middle, and last) in order to emphasize a scolding.
    Mom got super mad: she three-named my little brother as he made eye contact and dumped his noodles on the floor. "John Paul Smith, don't you dare dump those noodles on the floor!"

Usage notes[edit]

A person with more or fewer than three names is still three-named when referred to by their full legal name, e.g. Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, George Raymond Richard Martin, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo