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Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

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To a tee, t, or tea?
Guest
1
2009/06/08 - 8:41pm
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If something fits me to a tee, is it tee, t, or tea? I guessing it's tee from golf, but I don't really know.

Thanks!

Guest
2
2009/06/08 - 9:22pm
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"To a T" shows up earlier than "to a tee." But both have been around for centuries. "T" appears in the 1600s; the "tee" version about a century later. The origin is foggy.

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3
2009/06/09 - 9:54am
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Another thought: Maybe it's from drafting, and the t-square? If you measure an angle to make sure it's 90 degrees, and it fits perfectly, you could say it fits "to a t", dropping the "-square".

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4
2009/06/09 - 10:00am
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Best guess (t-square considered) is very likely it is a shortened version of an even older expression "to a tittle" with the same meaning. You may recognize "tittle" as a small mark in writing as in "jot or tittle."

Guest
5
2009/06/09 - 3:03pm
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I just found an excellent expert opinion on this in Michael Quinion and his website:

World Wide Words: To A T

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