A troika is a group of three things, usually three individuals who work together in a leadership capacity. Originally it was a term for Russian sleighs or carriages pulled by a team of three horses.
Additionally, Troika is the name of a committee which organized loans to several European countries during the recent economic crisis.
And lastly, a troika is a Russian folk dance where one man has two women for his partners. The actions of the dance are imitations of the horses prancing while pulling a sleigh.
Examples
This comes at a time when, European officials say, the EU is weighing up whether to scrap supervision of Athens by its troika of international lenders, allowing it to pursue its own plan to bolster the economy in return for a drip-feed of debt relief. [Business Recorder]
Another point of context: Quarterly smartphone sales are substantially larger than yearly tablet sales, a gap that is increasing. Tablets, regardless of what was thought, are the smallest of the PC, tablet, and smartphone troika. [Tech Crunch]
The fruit-herb-citrus troika was delicately balanced, and the granola’s textural contrast kept it interesting till it was gone. [Buffalo News]
Under the latest thinking, policing by the troika could be replaced by a special task force from the European Commission with biannual check-ups rather than every three months, provided Greece does not require fresh funds. [Irish Independent]
Number 5 of my Unisoni for strings and piano is a fast pizzicato music. A kind of Russian dance, a troika. [Score Exchange]