Dictionary

tit for tat en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Uncertain; conjectured to be ultimately from Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”) or French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”). Compare earlier tip for tap (“(a) blow for (a) blow”), from tip + tap; compare also dialectal tint for tant and tit (“a light blow or hit”). The vowel sequence follows a typical ablaut reduplication pattern.

Meanings

1. (countable, idiomatic, uncountable) Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye.
   • "You'll never get her over like that. You must coax her." / "Coax the devil. Do you think I'm going to be beat by a horse?" / "It would only be tit for tat; you beat her, so she has a right to beat you." 1864, Philip Wharton, chapter II, in Heart or Head. … In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Charles J. Skeet, 10, King William Street, Charing Cross, →OCLC, page 59:
   • If you hit me, I’ll hit you back; tit for tat.
   • YVETTE. I have no idea what to make Monsieur for dinner. / FOLLBRAGUET. (beside himself) Well, that's no skin off my ass, damn it! / YVETTE. (snippily, giving him tit for tat) Well, it's certainly no skin off mine, Monsieur! 1978 spring, Georges Feydeau, “Hortense Said, ‘No Skin Off My Ass!’”, in Norman R. Shapiro, transl., edited by Maurice Charney, Comedy: New Perspectives (New York Literary Forum; 1), New York, N.Y.: New York Literary Forum, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 307:
   • Could it but for a longer Space / Lengthen the Bliſs it let's us taſte, / Who would not doat on't? But alas! / The Joy's too exquiſite to laſt. / Two white Herculean Pillars prop / The tufted Gin, the tempting Snare; / When they divide, then in we pop, / Before we well know where we are. / Then that for this, and tit for tat; / But when the pleaſing Minute's flown, / As uſeleſs it returns the Bait, / And both look fooliſh when 'tis done. c. 1706, [Edward Ward], The Dutch Riddle: Or, A Character of a Hairy Monster, often Found in Holland, &c., [London?]: Sold by the booksellers of London and Westminster, →OCLC, page 2:
   • As part of the planning for a new initiative on Cuba, the NSC [National Security Council] also revived the concept of "calibrated response." A new staffer was tasked to develop a list of "tit-for-tats" with Cuba—which sanctions might be lifted or softened in response to clear steps toward democracy by the [Fidel] Castro regime. 2014, William M. LeoGrande, Peter Kornbluh, “Clinton: From Calibrated Response to Parallel Positive Steps”, in Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana, Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, →ISBN, page 279:
   • US-Myanmar relations in the past few years have been largely based on a quid pro quo or tit for tat strategy. Some analysts also call it action for action or give and take strategy. 2013 May 21, Nehginpao Kipgen, “Quid Pro Quo Diplomacy in US-Myanmar Relations”, in Foreign Policy Journal, archived from the original on 16 Jul 2019:
   • Tit for tat is the policy of cooperating on the first move and then doing whatever the other player did on the previous move. This policy means that tit for tat will defect once after each defection of the other player. 2006, Robert Axelrod, The evolution of cooperation, →ISBN, page 13:
   • China Warns of ‘Tit for Tat’ on iPhone Sales if Trump Starts Trade War 2016 November 14, Arjun Kharpal, “China Warns of ‘Tit for Tat’ on iPhone Sales if Trump Starts Trade War”, in NBC News, archived from the original on 08 Sep 2017, title:
   • This is but Tit for Tat, young Gentleman. Your Father wanted to get my Eſtate from me; and I have got the Wife he intended for you. All's fair, Sir. c. 1775, [Henry] Carey, The Honest Yorkshire-man. A Ballad Farce. As It is Acted at the Theatre-Royal, Dublin: Printed and sold by Thomas Wilkinson, in Winetavern Street, at the corner of Cook-Street; …, →OCLC, page 23:

Forms

Deriveds

tit-for-tat

Relateds

return the favor · quid pro quo

Synonyms

a Roland for an Oliver · eye for an eye

Translations (49)

lv dots pret dotu (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fr un prêté pour un rendu (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fa این به اون در (act of returning exactly what one gets) · cs oko za oko (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fi silmä silmästä (act of returning exactly what one gets) · cy cast am gast (act of returning exactly what one gets) · eo okulon pro okulo (act of returning exactly what one gets) · es tis con tas (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fr donnant-donnant (act of returning exactly what one gets) · cmn 以牙還牙 /以牙还牙 (act of returning exactly what one gets) · pl oko za oko, ząb za ząb (act of returning exactly what one gets) · cmn 一報還一報 /一报还一报 (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ka თვალი თვალის წილ (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ja 竹箆返し (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ru о́ко за о́ко (act of returning exactly what one gets) · mk мило за драго (act of returning exactly what one gets) · de wie du mir, so ich dir (act of returning exactly what one gets) · de Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn (act of returning exactly what one gets) · es tas con tas (act of returning exactly what one gets) · pl coś za coś (act of returning exactly what one gets) · es misma moneda (act of returning exactly what one gets) · vi có qua có lại (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fi samalla mitalla (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ka კბილი კბილის წილ (act of returning exactly what one gets) · sv öga för öga (act of returning exactly what one gets) · pl wet za wet (act of returning exactly what one gets) · no like for like (act of returning exactly what one gets) · hi जैसे को तैसा (act of returning exactly what one gets) · gl ollo por ollo (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ro după faptă și răsplată (act of returning exactly what one gets) · it pan per focaccia (act of returning exactly what one gets) · nl oog om oog, tand om tand (act of returning exactly what one gets) · pt elas por elas (act of returning exactly what one gets) · it occhio per occhio, dente per dente (act of returning exactly what one gets) · cmn 針鋒相對 /针锋相对 (act of returning exactly what one gets) · es taz con taz (act of returning exactly what one gets) · vi ăn miếng trả miếng (act of returning exactly what one gets) · pt olho por olho (act of returning exactly what one gets) · eo repago (act of returning exactly what one gets) · arz واحده بواحده (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ro așa cum faci așa ți se face (act of returning exactly what one gets) · hu amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten (act of returning exactly what one gets) · ro ochi pentru ochi (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fi potut pottuina (act of returning exactly what one gets) · sh milo za drago (act of returning exactly what one gets) · kw tys-ha-tas (act of returning exactly what one gets) · it occhio per occhio (act of returning exactly what one gets) · fr rendre la monnaie de sa pièce (act of returning exactly what one gets) · he מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה (act of returning exactly what one gets)

tit for tat en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Tit for tat is a rhyme for hat.

Meanings

1. (Cockney, slang) A hat.
   • Fred came from Cheapside in London – an official Cockney, born within earshot of the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow – and he taught her Cockney rhyming slang. She loved its lighthearted logic: the last word in a common phrase rhymed with the word it was to replace. So "tit for tat" was "hat", and "trouble and strife" was "wife". But the best part was that you usually dropped the rhyming words and used only the first words, so "your wife's hat" became "your trouble's titfer". [2005, A. R. Homer, The Sobs of Autumn’s Violins: A Novel of War and Love, Coral Springs, Fla.: Llumina Press, →ISBN, page 148:
   • Tit for tat hat / The phrase ‘tit for tat’ […] emerged as a rhyme for ‘hat’ in the late nineteenth century and was subsequently condensed to ‘titfer’ around 1930, in which form it enjoyed unparalleled success at a time when virtually everyone wore a hat. [2008, Geoff Tibballs, “Tit for tat”, in The Ultimate Cockney Geezer’s Guide to Rhyming Slang, London: Ebury Press, Ebury Publishing, →ISBN, page 182:

Forms

Deriveds

titfer

Synonyms

titfer · ball and bat