Three on a match (also known as
third on a match or
unlucky third light) is a purported
superstition among soldiers during the
Crimean War to
World War II. The superstition goes that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes from the same
match, one of the three would be killed or that the man who was third on the match would be shot. Since then it has been considered
bad luck for three people to share a light from the same match. This superstition has become part of popular Western Culture in films, novels and other art forms.