Idiom of the day :- Tit for tat

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

An unpleasant action given in return for one received A : Andrew was furious when I got the job which he wanted. He came round to my house with a ladder in the middle of the night to splash red paint over my windows. B : That’s outrageous. If I were you I would go round to his house and pour paint over his car. A : No, I don’t believe in tit for tat. Anyway Andrew fell off the ladder and broke his leg — so now he’s even more angry ! In the 16th century tip and tap both meant a hit or a blow. The expression tip for tap therefore meant a blow in exchange for a blow. Over the time the spelling has altered to the current tit for tat.