# Three count **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708 "2015-10-06T13:22:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/21 "2015-10-07T22:16:39Z")
It should always be on ‘go’. The number you start with doesn’t really matter. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/22 "2015-10-07T22:55:39Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > I always find it confusing when someone says “Ok, let’s go on 3” and then they start “3…” If you say ON 3, why are you STARTING with 3? Yeah, that would confuse me, too. Who the hell does this? The main confusion I find with “ON 3” is that some people do a beat after three, so instead of “1-2- **THREE**!!!” they expect “1-2-3- **DO THE THING YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO**.” So anytime I do a three count these days, I’ll typically say I’ll count up to three and then a beat after they should do whatever they are supposed to do, because it seems to me that most people interpret “on three” to mean what would normally be “on four.” ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/23 "2015-10-08T00:36:46Z")
… > [@](#): > > And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/24 "2015-10-08T00:38:15Z")
3 5 0 1 2 5 go! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/25 "2015-10-08T01:33:49Z")
Before I opened the thread, I heard in my head Ol’ Mr. Ed, a jazz great from hereabouts. He’d always say “And-a-1, and-a-2, and-a-1-2-3-Go!” But yeah, if you just start counting, then it’s 1, 2, 3, Go! But if you say “on three” then folks should be anticipating when the three will come out of your mouth and go with it. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/26 "2015-10-08T01:36:50Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/27 "2015-10-08T01:59:30Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Before I opened the thread, I heard in my head Ol’ Mr. Ed, a jazz great from hereabouts. He’d always say “And-a-1, and-a-2, and-a-1-2-3-Go!” Additionally, in a musical context, the “go” point of that lead-in would be _after_ the spoken “Go”, not on it. It’d be a nine-beat lead-in (1+4+4) like so: (beats underlined) - - - And-a 1 and-a 2 and-a 1 2 3 Go! - [Music " " "]\* ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/28 "2015-10-09T01:50:26Z")
Then there’s the special count for taking off someone’s Band-Aid: “Okay, I’m going to rip it off on three. Ready? One – two – RIP.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708/29 "2015-10-13T01:10:23Z")
I always heard it was “5 … 4 … 3 …” and the rest was silent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-count/733708.md?page=1)