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tit for tat

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tit for tat¹

  • /ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/ UK
  • /ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/ Canada, US

Where it comes from

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.

noun tit for tats

  1. countable, idiomatic, uncountable Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye. If you hit me, I’ll hit you back; tit for tat.

    Similar: eye for an eye, a Roland for an Oliver

tit for tat²

  • /ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/ UK
  • /ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/ Canada, US

Where it comes from

Tit for tat is a rhyme for hat.

noun tit for tats

  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

    Similar: ball and bat, titfer

Translations

Every language

noun act of returning exactly what one gets

Españolmisma moneda, tas con tas, tis con tas, taz con taz
日本語竹箆返し shippegaeshi
中文以牙還牙 /以牙还牙 yǐyáhuányá, 一報還一報 /一报还一报 yī bào huán yī bào, 針鋒相對 /针锋相对 zhēnfēngxiāngduì
हिन्दीजैसे को तैसा jaise ko taisā
Portuguêsolho por olho, elas por elas
Françaisrendre la monnaie de sa pièce, donnant-donnant, un prêté pour un rendu
Deutschwie du mir, so ich dir, Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn
Italianoocchio per occhio, dente per dente, occhio per occhio, pan per focaccia
Românăochi pentru ochi, așa cum faci așa ți se face, după faptă și răsplată
Русскийо́ко за о́ко óko za óko
Tiếng Việtăn miếng trả miếng, có qua có lại
עבריתמִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה midá kenéged midá

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MLA

"tit for tat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tit%20for%20tat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

tit for tat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tit%20for%20tat

Chicago

"tit for tat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tit%20for%20tat.

BibTeX
@misc{tit_for_tat_2026,
  title = {tit for tat},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tit%20for%20tat},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}