three R's: Meaning and Definition of

three R's

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. 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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.