"tit for tat" meaning in English

See tit for tat in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/ [Canada, General-American] Audio: En-au-tit for tat.ogg Forms: tit for tats [plural]
Etymology: From tit (“a light blow or hit”). Compare earlier tip for tap (“(a) blow for (a) blow”), from tip + tap; compare also dialectal tint for tant. Origin uncertain; conjectured to be ultimately from Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”) or French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”). The vowel sequence follows a typical ablaut reduplication pattern. Etymology templates: {{der|en|nl|dit voor dat||this for that}} Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”), {{der|en|fr|tant pour tant||equal for equal}} French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”) Head templates: {{en-noun}} tit for tat (plural tit for tats)
  1. (idiomatic) Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye. Tags: idiomatic Categories (topical): Headwear Synonyms: eye for an eye, a Roland for an Oliver Derived forms: tit-for-tat [adjective] Related terms: quid pro quo Translations (act of returning exactly what one gets): واحده بواحده (wáḥda b-wáḥda) [Egyptian-Arabic] (Arabic), 以牙還牙 (Chinese Mandarin), 以牙还牙 (yǐyáhuányá) (Chinese Mandarin), 一報還一報 (Chinese Mandarin), 一报还一报 (yī bào huán yī bào) (Chinese Mandarin), 針鋒相對 (Chinese Mandarin), 针锋相对 (zhēnfēngxiāngduì) (Chinese Mandarin), oko za oko (Czech), oog om oog, tand om tand (Dutch), repago (Esperanto), okulon pro okulo (Esperanto), silmä silmästä (Finnish), potut pottuina (Finnish), samalla mitalla (Finnish), rendre la monnaie de sa pièce (French), donnant-donnant (French), un prêté pour un rendu (French), ollo por ollo [masculine] (Galician), თვალი თვალის წილ (tvali tvalis c̣il) (Georgian), კბილი კბილის წილ (ḳbili ḳbilis c̣il) (Georgian), wie du mir, so ich dir (German), Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn (German), מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה (midá kenéged midá) (Hebrew), जैसे को तैसा (jaise ko taisā) (Hindi), amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten (Hungarian), occhio per occhio, dente per dente (Italian), occhio per occhio (Italian), pan per focaccia (Italian), 竹箆返し (shippegaeshi) (alt: しっぺがえし) (Japanese), dots pret dotu (Latvian), мило за драго (milo za drago) [neuter] (Macedonian), like for like (Norwegian), این به اون در (in be on dar) (Persian), wet za wet (Polish), oko za oko, ząb za ząb (Polish), coś za coś (Polish), ochi pentru ochi (Romanian), așa cum faci așa ți se face (Romanian), după faptă și răsplată (Romanian), о́ко за о́ко (óko za óko) (Russian), milo za drago [idiomatic] (Serbo-Croatian), ojo por ojo (Spanish), öga för öga (Swedish), ăn miếng trả miếng (Vietnamese), có qua có lại (Vietnamese)
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

IPA: /ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/ [Canada, General-American] Audio: En-au-tit for tat.ogg Forms: tit for tats [plural]
Etymology: Tit for tat is a rhyme for hat. Head templates: {{en-noun}} tit for tat (plural tit for tats)
  1. (Cockney rhyming slang) A hat. Tags: Cockney, slang Categories (topical): Headwear Synonyms: ball and bat, titfer Derived forms: titfer
    Sense id: en-tit_for_tat-en-noun-en:hat Disambiguation of Headwear: 54 46
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "dit voor dat",
        "4": "",
        "5": "this for that"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "tant pour tant",
        "4": "",
        "5": "equal for equal"
      },
      "expansion": "French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tit (“a light blow or hit”). Compare earlier tip for tap (“(a) blow for (a) blow”), from tip + tap; compare also dialectal tint for tant. Origin uncertain; conjectured to be ultimately from Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”) or French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”). The vowel sequence follows a typical ablaut reduplication pattern.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tit for tats",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tit for tat (plural tit for tats)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "orig": "en:Headwear",
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            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "adjective"
          ],
          "word": "tit-for-tat"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "If you hit me, I’ll hit you back; tit for tat.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Robert Axelrod, The evolution of cooperation, →ISBN, page 13:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "\"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.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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 2017-09-08, title:",
          "text": "China Warns of ‘Tit for Tat’ on iPhone Sales if Trump Starts Trade War",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye."
      ],
      "id": "en-tit_for_tat-en-noun-Nx37Tq~T",
      "links": [
        [
          "Equivalent",
          "equivalent#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "retribution",
          "retribution"
        ],
        [
          "returning",
          "return#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "exactly",
          "exactly"
        ],
        [
          "eye for an eye",
          "eye for an eye"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "quid pro quo"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "eye for an eye"
        },
        {
          "word": "a Roland for an Oliver"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "arz",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "wáḥda b-wáḥda",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "tags": [
            "Egyptian-Arabic"
          ],
          "word": "واحده بواحده"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "以牙還牙"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yǐyáhuányá",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "以牙还牙"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "一報還一報"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yī bào huán yī bào",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "一报还一报"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "針鋒相對"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "zhēnfēngxiāngduì",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "针锋相对"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "oko za oko"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "oog om oog, tand om tand"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "repago"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "okulon pro okulo"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "silmä silmästä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "potut pottuina"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "samalla mitalla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "rendre la monnaie de sa pièce"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "donnant-donnant"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "un prêté pour un rendu"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ollo por ollo"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "tvali tvalis c̣il",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "თვალი თვალის წილ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "ḳbili ḳbilis c̣il",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "კბილი კბილის წილ"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "wie du mir, so ich dir"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "midá kenéged midá",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "jaise ko taisā",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "जैसे को तैसा"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "occhio per occhio, dente per dente"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "occhio per occhio"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "pan per focaccia"
        },
        {
          "alt": "しっぺがえし",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "shippegaeshi",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "竹箆返し"
        },
        {
          "code": "lv",
          "lang": "Latvian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "dots pret dotu"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "milo za drago",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "мило за драго"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "like for like"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "in be on dar",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "این به اون در"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "wet za wet"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "oko za oko, ząb za ząb"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "coś za coś"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "ochi pentru ochi"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "așa cum faci așa ți se face"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "după faptă și răsplată"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "óko za óko",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "о́ко за о́ко"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "milo za drago"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "ojo por ojo"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "öga för öga"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "ăn miếng trả miếng"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
          "word": "có qua có lại"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-tit for tat.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tit for tat"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Tit for tat is a rhyme for hat.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tit for tats",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tit for tat (plural tit for tats)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Headwear",
          "orig": "en:Headwear",
          "parents": [
            "Clothing",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "titfer"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "[2005, A. R. Homer, The Sobs of Autumn’s Violins: A Novel of War and Love, Coral Springs, Fla.: Llumina Press, →ISBN, page 148:",
          "text": "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\".",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "[2008, Geoff Tibballs, “Tit for tat”, in The Ultimate Cockney Geezer’s Guide to Rhyming Slang, London: Ebury Press, Ebury Publishing, →ISBN, page 182:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hat."
      ],
      "id": "en-tit_for_tat-en-noun-en:hat",
      "links": [
        [
          "Cockney rhyming slang",
          "Cockney rhyming slang"
        ],
        [
          "hat",
          "hat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Cockney rhyming slang) A hat."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:hat"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "ball and bat"
        },
        {
          "word": "titfer"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cockney",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-tit for tat.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tit for tat"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English reduplications",
    "English terms derived from Dutch",
    "English terms derived from French",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Egyptian Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Galician translations",
    "Terms with Georgian translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "Terms with Hindi translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Latvian translations",
    "Terms with Macedonian translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian translations",
    "Terms with Persian translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
    "en:Headwear"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "adjective"
      ],
      "word": "tit-for-tat"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "dit voor dat",
        "4": "",
        "5": "this for that"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "tant pour tant",
        "4": "",
        "5": "equal for equal"
      },
      "expansion": "French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tit (“a light blow or hit”). Compare earlier tip for tap (“(a) blow for (a) blow”), from tip + tap; compare also dialectal tint for tant. Origin uncertain; conjectured to be ultimately from Dutch dit voor dat (“this for that”) or French tant pour tant (“equal for equal”). The vowel sequence follows a typical ablaut reduplication pattern.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tit for tats",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tit for tat (plural tit for tats)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "quid pro quo"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "If you hit me, I’ll hit you back; tit for tat.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Robert Axelrod, The evolution of cooperation, →ISBN, page 13:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "\"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.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "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 2017-09-08, title:",
          "text": "China Warns of ‘Tit for Tat’ on iPhone Sales if Trump Starts Trade War",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Equivalent",
          "equivalent#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "retribution",
          "retribution"
        ],
        [
          "returning",
          "return#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "exactly",
          "exactly"
        ],
        [
          "eye for an eye",
          "eye for an eye"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Equivalent retribution; an act of returning exactly what one gets; an eye for an eye."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-tit for tat.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "eye for an eye"
    },
    {
      "word": "a Roland for an Oliver"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "arz",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "wáḥda b-wáḥda",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "tags": [
        "Egyptian-Arabic"
      ],
      "word": "واحده بواحده"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "以牙還牙"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yǐyáhuányá",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "以牙还牙"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "一報還一報"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yī bào huán yī bào",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "一报还一报"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "針鋒相對"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "zhēnfēngxiāngduì",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "针锋相对"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "oko za oko"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "oog om oog, tand om tand"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "repago"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "okulon pro okulo"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "silmä silmästä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "potut pottuina"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "samalla mitalla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "rendre la monnaie de sa pièce"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "donnant-donnant"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "un prêté pour un rendu"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ollo por ollo"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "tvali tvalis c̣il",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "თვალი თვალის წილ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "ḳbili ḳbilis c̣il",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "კბილი კბილის წილ"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "wie du mir, so ich dir"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "midá kenéged midá",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "jaise ko taisā",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "जैसे को तैसा"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "occhio per occhio, dente per dente"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "occhio per occhio"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "pan per focaccia"
    },
    {
      "alt": "しっぺがえし",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "shippegaeshi",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "竹箆返し"
    },
    {
      "code": "lv",
      "lang": "Latvian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "dots pret dotu"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "milo za drago",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "мило за драго"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "like for like"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "in be on dar",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "این به اون در"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "wet za wet"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "oko za oko, ząb za ząb"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "coś za coś"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "ochi pentru ochi"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "așa cum faci așa ți se face"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "după faptă și răsplată"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "óko za óko",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "о́ко за о́ко"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "milo za drago"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "ojo por ojo"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "öga för öga"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "ăn miếng trả miếng"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "act of returning exactly what one gets",
      "word": "có qua có lại"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tit for tat"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English reduplications",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Headwear"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "titfer"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Tit for tat is a rhyme for hat.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tit for tats",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tit for tat (plural tit for tats)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Cockney rhyming slang",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "[2005, A. R. Homer, The Sobs of Autumn’s Violins: A Novel of War and Love, Coral Springs, Fla.: Llumina Press, →ISBN, page 148:",
          "text": "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\".",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "[2008, Geoff Tibballs, “Tit for tat”, in The Ultimate Cockney Geezer’s Guide to Rhyming Slang, London: Ebury Press, Ebury Publishing, →ISBN, page 182:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hat."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Cockney rhyming slang",
          "Cockney rhyming slang"
        ],
        [
          "hat",
          "hat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Cockney rhyming slang) A hat."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:hat"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cockney",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fə(ɹ)ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-tit for tat.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/En-au-tit_for_tat.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "ball and bat"
    },
    {
      "word": "titfer"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tit for tat"
}

Download raw JSONL data for tit for tat meaning in English (14.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.