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tit for tat

 - 4 dictionary results

tit for tat

 
Use tit for tat in a Sentence
–noun
with an equivalent given in retaliation, as a blow for a blow, repartee, etc.: He answered their insults tit for tat.
Origin:
1550–60; perh. var. of earlier tip for tap
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tit for tat
tit for tat  
n.  Repayment in kind, as for an injury; retaliation.

[Probably alteration of tip for tap.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

tit for tat

Giving back exactly what one receives: “If you hit me, I'll do the same to you; it's tit for tat.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

tit for tat

Repayment in kind, retaliation, as in If he won't help with the beach clean-up, I won't run a booth at the bake sale; that's tit for tat. This term is believed to be a corruption of tip for tap, which meant "a blow for a blow." Its current form dates from the mid-1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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