Tit for Tat
Preserved but no longer current.
Retaliation; probably representing tip for tap, i.e. blow for blow. J. Bellenden Ker says this is the Dutch dit vor dat (this for that), Lat. quid pro quo. Heywood uses the phrase tit for tat, perhaps the French tant pour tant.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tit for Tat” mean?
Retaliation; probably representing tip for tap, i.e. blow for blow. J. Bellenden Ker says this is the Dutch dit vor dat (this for that), Lat. quid pro quo. Heywood uses the phrase tit for tat, perhaps the French tant pour tant.
Is “Tit for Tat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.