What does the "T" stand for when one says "Fits me to a T" ?

Question

Tidbits? Someone suggested it has biblical references. Where is the origin of this saying?

Thanks

Answer 1

Actually, there is NO reason to think it might be from "T-square", since that item was invented long after the first appearance of the expression.

The source Indianajones copied moves in the right direction, is a bit off in its history (and spelling) Main mistakes -- the word is spelled "tittle" NOT "title"; the English Bible translator responsible for this word's English use was John Wycliffe in the 14th century, not Wm. Tyndale in the 16th.


"To a T" is a a late 17th century variation of the expression "to a tittle", which was in use by the early 17th century, with the meaning "to the smallest detail."

The word "tittle" itself comes from the LATIN word for a diacritical mark (In it's origins it is related to the word "title", but is NOT spelled the same way!)
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tittle

But the key was John Wycliffe's translation of the Bible into English in the mid-14th century . Translating the Latin of Matthew 5:18 (which used the word "apex") he chose to use the Latin word "tittle". In the Greek the word used literally means "horn". By this, Jesus was probably referring to tiny marks on the top of certain Hebrew letters that distinguished them from very similar Hebrew letters (hence modern translations often paraphrase it as something like "least stroke of a pen").
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19980629


Note that "tittle" in this verse is is the second member of a pair, the now familiar "jot and tittle". The term "jot" renders Greek "iota" -- the name of the small Greek letter "i", though Jesus probably was speaking of the tiny equivalent HEBREW letter "yod".
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20000223



"jot" and "tittle" continued to be used in later the 16th century English Bible translations (beginning William Tyndale in the 1520s). Many still know these terms from the King James (1611) translation -- "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mat/Mat005.html#18

Based on this Biblical "tittle" to refer to tiny details "to a tittle" and its later simplified form "to a T" were used to refer to precision (something that fits exactly, that is 'to the smallest detail').

see also:
http://worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-toa2.htm

Answer 2

If something "fits to a T" then it's perfect for its purpose. The allusion here is said to be with a T square. This piece of apparatus is so accurate that a precise right angle fits it perfectly.
However neat this suggestion is, there is another possible origin, based on the fact that the saying was in use in the 17th century, before the T square was invented. This one suggests that the T stands for "Title", a minute and precisely positioned pen stroke or printer's mark. A tiny brushstroke was all that distinguished the Hebrew letter "dalet" from "resh". "Title" was the word chosen by Wycliffe to translate references to this tiny difference in his version of the New Testament. Thus the mark was perfectly suited to its task.

Answer 3

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Thanks pinkie.......NoBamaNation for me - that's for sure. His big thing now is - "I didn't vote for the War". Well - that doesn't impress me considering he voted to FUND the War - and if you support it with money - you support it, period. And considering he never showed up to vote anyway - he was probably just absent that day (ho-hum). Of course he will stand "by the Muslims", as he stated. Muslim roots run deep - very deep.

Answer 4

Fits To A T

Answer 5

Basically it's just a figure of speech. But it means it fits me "perfectly".
The origin is the 60's when slang was invented for many, many phrases! What goes around comes around is another.
Scratch my back I'll scratch yours, ect.

Answer 6

Ok Refers to the T square.
Accurate drawing of right angles and all that.

I think it has greek origins.

Answer 7

A 'T' is shaped with clean and simple lines plus it looks like a tight t-shirt...Hmm this is a good question beats me..and I don't feel like looking it up.

Answer 8

I agree with the answer of Indianajones.