tat

¹

[ tat ]

verb (used with or without object)

, tat·ted, tat·ting.

1. to do tatting, or make (knotted lace) by tatting.

tat

²

[ tat ]

noun

1. a pattern, words, or piece of art inked indelibly into the skin by making punctures in it and inserting pigments; tattoo:

   She was normally proud of her tats, but she wore long-sleeved blouses to cover them while interviewing for elementary school teaching positions.

verb (used with or without object)

, tat·ted, tat·ting.

1. to mark (the skin) with tattoos, or put (tattoos) on the skin (often followed by up ):

   I want to get really tatted up, but I’m planning each piece carefully and taking my time—you only get one canvas for this art.

TAT

³

abbreviation for

, Psychology.

1. Thematic Apperception Test.

tat

¹

/ tæt /

noun

1. See tit for tat
   See tit for tat

tat

²

/ tæt /

verb

1. to make (something) by tatting

tat

³

/ tæt /

noun

1. See tattoo
   short for tattoo 2

tat

⁴

/ tæt /

noun

1. tatty articles or a tatty condition
2. tasteless articles
3. a tangled mass

Word History and Origins

Origin of tat¹

First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from tatting

Origin of tat²

First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of tattoo ²( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tat¹

C19: of unknown origin

Origin of tat²

C20: back formation from tatty

Idioms and Phrases

see tit for tat .

Example Sentences

Given the potential for a cyber tit-for-tat to escalate, Obama has even more incentive to find a diplomatic solution.

From The Daily Beast

Other feminist sites have championed objectifying men in tit-for-tat fashion as empowering women.

From The Daily Beast

A lot of newspaper columns used to be written in a rat-a-tat-tat, fast-paced style—and they tended to be funny.

From The Daily Beast

This series of tit-for-tat bombings has created the most violent and volatile dynamic in Lebanon since the end of the civil war.

From The Daily Beast

Since then, we've been locked in an escalating tit for tat war in which the loser is our increasingly empty federal court system.

From The Daily Beast

I was here a little while ago and nobody answered my knock, though I could hear that typewriter going rat, tat, tat all the time.

From Project Gutenberg

Our ears were deafened by the sharp rat-tat-tat of the machine guns, and by our own frantic anti-aircraft fire.

From Project Gutenberg

And yet the one is as good as the other: pass for pass, tit for tat, a Roland for an Oliver.

From Project Gutenberg

That's why I don't mind tackling cabmen—they sit all day, and all they've got to say is 'rat-tat,' and they've done.

From Project Gutenberg

In a few minutes we were replying in volume, and the rat-tat-tats of the machine-guns on either side were continuous.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• knit