to a T

Betekenis (Engels)

Precisely; exactly; perfectly; with great attention to detail.

Concepten

gewoonweg

Synoniemen

to the letter

to perfection

just right

perfectly

pat

plum

sheerly

downright

to the full

unconditionally

to a tee

to pieces

tip-top

in

just so

on

🔛

Etymologie (Engels)

The origins of this phrase are uncertain, but it has been observed in print since at least 1693, and likely was around well before that. The possibly related phrase to a tittle is found in a 1607 play, The Woman Hater by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher ("I'll quote him to a tittle"). The T in the phrase to a T is likely the first letter of a word, with tittle being the most likely source.
* Other theories with little evidence point to golf tees, for their small size; this may have at least influenced the alternative form to a tee. Some speculate a relationship with T-square, a measuring device introduced around the turn of the century. Others claim the expression refers to the correct completion of the letter t by crossing it.
*In print from "Two Years Before the Mast" published in 1840, and, even then, using quotes, refers to the practice of squaring up a yardarm with a mast on a sailing ship such that it made a perpendicular T.