Bad things may be specified as accidents, deaths, or other mishaps; cf. misfortunes never come singly. This is a well-attested folk superstition on both sides of the Atlantic: [1891 Notes & Queries 7th Ser. XII. 489] One of my servants having accidentally broken a glass shade, asked for two other articles of little value, a wine bottle and jam crock, that she might break them, and so prevent the two other accidents. ‥which would otherwise follow. Cf. third time lucky.
He was a superstitious man and believed that bad joss always struck in threes.
[1997 D. Hansen Sole Survivor xvi. 82]
They say bad things come in threes. I don't know who the they are that say this, mind, or how they found out that that was how bad things came,‥but‥last weekend, they were spot on.
[2002 Times 20 Mar. 22]
Related to: misfortune; superstition
Bibliography of major proverb collections and works cited from modern editions is available here.
