trifecta

1. a bet in which the first, second and third place winners are picked in the correct order

2. the situation of having three major achievements in a profession, sport, or other pastime

There was a time when the noun trifecta belonged exclusively to the terminology of gambling, especially horse racing. However, in the last few years, it appears to have made the transition into other kinds of sporting achievement, especially in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, where it is frequently used in baseball commentaries. This highbrow-sounding noun is now even beginning to emerge in a range of topical contexts, used by the media to refer to any threesome of significant actions or achievements.

though traditionally trifecta is connected with winning or success, it has latterly been used in alternative contexts

Though traditionally trifecta has positive overtones, connected with winning or success, it has latterly been used in alternative contexts. In 2001, it was famously used by President Bush in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, as illustrated by the first quote above, a much-cited example in subsequent political commentary.

Though countable, trifecta most commonly appears in singular form with the definite article the, typically in phrases such as complete/do/hit the trifecta. The adjective perfect is a frequent collocate, for example:

Background – trifecta

Trifecta is a late 20th century term originating from horse racing. The noun triple is a common lexical variant. The word trifecta is formed from a blend of the morpheme tri- ('three') and the noun perfecta. Perfecta is based on the Latin American phrase quiniela perfecta, used to describe a bet in which first and second place winners are picked in the right order. The term superfecta (a blend of super and perfecta) refers to a bet in which the first four winners are picked in the correct order. Superfecta still seems to be largely confined to horse racing and other gambling contexts.