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Tit For Tat - Meaning & Origin Of The Phrase - Phrasefinder
Tit-for, tit-for-tat, that is, hat. This usage was popularised by the British comedian Tommy Trinder who, although he was born several miles from the sound of Bow Bells, in Streatham, London, and hence not strictly a cockney, exemplified cockney style to most people.
Tit for tat - Origin & Meaning of the Phrase - Etymonline
In English the meaning "strike sharply but lightly, tap" is from 1560s. Specifically in sports, "hit (the ball, etc.) with a light touch or tap," by 1816, originally in cricket.
Tit-for-Tat Meaning, Origins and Implications | HowStuffWorks
The origin of "tit-for-tat" can be traced to old-style English phrases like "tip for tap" or "tap for tap," both referring to a back-and-forth exchange of minor blows.
Tit for Tat - Idiom, Origin & Meaning - GRAMMARIST
One of the earliest records of the phrase “tit for tat” goes back to the mid-1500s by an English playwright named John Heywood. Some say it’s actually a variant of an older phrase, “tip for tap,” where both tip and tap mean “a small blow,” like a physical hit or punch.
Idiom Origins - Tit for tat - History of Tit for tat
Some sources maintain that it is a corruption of the French phrase, tant pour tant meaning so much for so much. Other sources, including the OED, maintain that it originated in the 15th century and started out as ‘tip for tap’ meaning that even a light blow, a tap, deserved another in retaliation.
meaning and origin of the phrase ‘tit for tat’ – word histories
The phrase tit for tat means an equivalent given in return or retaliation. The expression seems to be a variation of the obsolete and more comprehensible tip for tap, in which both tip and tap meant a light but distinct blow, stroke, hit.
Tit for Tat Idiom Explained: Meaning, History, and Usage
By Shakespeare’s lifetime the alliteration had shifted to “tit for tat,” rhyming slang that entertained tavern crowds. Victorian newspapers popularized it in crime reports, embedding the phrase in urban consciousness.
tit for tat meaning, origin, example, sentence, etymology
The phrase “tit for tat” originated in the mid-16th century, meaning to respond in kind, especially with retaliation of equal measure. It comes from the children’s game of exchanging light blows back and forth, where a “tit” represented a light tap and a “tat” was the responding blow.
Tit for tat - Wikipedia
The tit-for-tat inability of either side to back away from conflict, for fear of being perceived as weak or as cooperating with the enemy, has been the cause of many prolonged conflicts throughout history.
Tit for tat: Origin of this retaliation phrase - World Wide Words
This curious phrase is a classic example. In the sixteenth century, it was tip for tat. Another form, used by Shakespeare and almost certainly from fencing, was tap for tap, which makes plain the underlying idea of a reprisal or retaliation that’s roughly proportionate to its cause.
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