three-legged race

American  

noun

1. a race among a number of paired contestants, each contestant having one leg tied to the adjacent leg of their partner.

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three-legged race British  

noun

1. a race in which pairs of competitors run with their adjacent legs tied together

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Etymology

Origin of three-legged race

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

three-legged race

At the 1992 Town Picnic in Chernobyl, Ukraine, the three-legged race was won for the first time by a single person.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2020

It’s as if they imagine collaborative fiction as a kind of three-legged race: goofy and fun at an office picnic, but ill suited to a serious runner.

From Salon ● May 25, 2015

MasterChef The young chefs attempt to bake while in a three-legged race.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2014

But for virtually all, it has become a three-legged race that is impossible to win alone.

From Inc ● Jun. 4, 2013

Years later, they laughed to see the girls, Mona and Callie, in a three-legged race.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen