Origin of Gratuity “Tip”

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, this is Swaroop calling from Flower Mound, Texas.

How are you doing?

Great. Nice to talk to you.

Hi.

Hello. Very excited to be on this show and long-time listener, first-time caller.

Excellent.

As they say.

We’re delighted to have you. How can we help you?

I’ve been hearing the word tips which we give in a hotel or to a bellboy in return for service.

I was always wondering whether it was an acronym or is it a short for something, a longer word.

Wanted to find out because I’ve heard that it can be an acronym as well.

So wanted to find from the experts.

Okay, so you’ve heard the acronym story, and what is that exactly?

My wife says it’s to ensure prompt service, and I think it is thanks and payment.

Oh, I haven’t heard that one.

Which one is the right?

Neither one.

Yeah, neither one.

So the question, just to clarify here, the question is the origin of tips.

So if I leave a little money on the pillow for the maid after I check out of the hotel or I get good service at a restaurant and I put some extra bills on the table for the wait staff, that’s what you’re talking about, that kind of tip, right?

Right, exactly.

Okay.

Yeah.

Well, the first thing to say is that you should almost always be suspicious of acronym stories.

We haven’t really seen acronyms a whole lot in English until relatively late.

In fact, the word acronym itself didn’t come into English until, I think, the 1940s.

But the word tip goes all the way back at least to the mid-18th century.

And we think it comes from perhaps the slang of thieves,

The idea of tipping or tapping that is touching somebody, handing something off.

Does that make sense?

So think about the moment in which you pass the money from your hand to, say, the hand of the valet,

Who has handed you back your car keys, right?

There’s this moment where you’re literally giving him the tip.

You’re touching him.

Correct.

You’re folding the note and passing it on to him.

Yes, that’s right.

Yes, makes sense.

So at least it puts the story address at our dinner table tonight.

Thank you.

Yeah, sure, no problem.

Yeah, the acronym stuff is crazy.

They call them backronyms, actually, in the language trades.

People invent acronyms for words that already existed just because it’s kind of fun to do.

But they’re almost never the true origin story for words.

I mean, it’s like a handful of words that we use every day actually come from backwards, like laser.

And there’s just not that many, really, you know?

Oh, so nice to hear that.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, sure.

I really enjoy your show.

Oh, we enjoyed having you on it.

Thanks.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

You know, I was thinking about the word in Spanish for tip is propina, or let’s leave them a little propi.

And I was always curious as to why we say that.

And it goes back to Latin words that literally mean for a drink.

So, you know, here’s a little beer money.

So the pro is the for part and the pinot is the drink.

Exactly.

That’s exactly it.

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