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. short for tattoo 2

tat

²

/ tæt /

verb

1. to make (something) by tatting

tat

³

/ tæt /

noun

1. See tit for tat

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

Tom Tugendhat appeared to enjoy the Conservative Party Conference – handing out tat, sorry, memorabilia to anyone willing to take it: smarties, baseball caps, pens, notepads, even lollipops with a picture of him in the middle.

From BBC

She reeled off a list of villages nearer the border - now deserted and destroyed after the past year of tit for tat exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel.

From BBC

Russian statecraft follows closely the principle of proportionality, which means for every tit, there must be a tat.

From BBC

Whatever the specifics of this latest tit for tat, there is a more fundamental priority for both sides: deterrence – a more solid certainty that strikes on its own soil will not happen again.

From BBC

It’s also worth noting that the other side of today’s allegations – that individual MPs were hacked too – is not uncommon in the tit for tat cyber espionage world.

From BBC

Related Words

• knit