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.
Origin
1820-30
British Dictionary definitions for three rs
three Rs
plural noun
1.
the three Rs, the three skills regarded as the fundamentals of education; reading, writing, and arithmetic
Word Origin
from the humorous spelling reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic
Related Abbreviations for three rs
three R's
reading, writing, and arithmetic
Idioms and Phrases with three rs
three R's
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.