To a T, phr. (colloquial).—Exactly; to a nicety; as true as an angle drawn with a T-square.
1698. Farquhar, Love and a Bottle, iv. 3. He answered the description the page gave to a T, sir.
1700. Labour in Vain [Harl. Misc., vi. 387]. Having cajoled my inquirer, and fitted his humour to a T.
1759-67. Sterne, Tristram Shandy, ii. 5. We could manage this matter to a T.
1899. Marsh, Crime and Criminal, xxii. Levett turned out a regular trump, and they hit it off together to a T.
To be marked with a T, verb. phr. (old).—Known as a thief. [Formerly convicted thieves were branded with a 'T' in the hand.]
T. T. phr. (American).—'Too thin' or 'too transparent': e.g. 'The story is T. T.'
Tab, subs. (American).—1. A
check; an account. to keep
tab = to keep watch.
1884. Century, xxxviii. 882. There are fellows in the office quietly keeping tab on them.
2. (tailors').—In pl. = the ears.
To drive tab, verb. phr. (old).—'To go out on a party of pleasure with a wife and family' (Grose).
The Tab, subs. phr. (London).—The Metropolitan Tabernacle in Newington Causeway.
Tabarder, subs. (Univ.).—A
scholar on the foundation of
Queen's College, Oxford.—Wood,
Athen. Oxon. (1692).
1822. Nares, Glossary, s.v. Tabard. The name of tabarder is still preserved in Queen's College, Oxford, for scholars, whose original dress was a tabard. They are part of the foundation, which consists of, a provost, 16 fellows, 2 chaplains, 8 tabarders, 12 probationary scholars, and 2 clerks.—Oxf. Univ. Cal.
Tabby, subs. (colloquial).—1. An
old maid; hence (2) a spiteful
tattler: cf. Cat (Grose).
Tabby-party = a gathering of
women.
1761. G. Colman, Jealous Wife, ii. 3. I am not sorry for the coming in of these old tabbies, and am much obliged to her ladyship for leaving us to such an agreeable tête-à-tête.
1774. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 246. This made th' old tabbies swear they'd never Fall out, but live good friends for ever.
d. 1855. Rogers [Trevelyan, Macaulay, i. 241]. When he can get into a circle of old tabbies, he is just in his element.
Tabernacle, subs. (religious).—See
quot.
1872. Hall, False Philology, 24, Note. The shed in Moorfields which Whitefield used as a temporary chapel was called 'The Tabernacle'; and, in the scornful dialect of certain Church-of-England men, Methodist and such-like places of worship have, since then, been known as tabernacles.
