The Story Behind "Tit for Tat"

Tit for tat
If you kill my dog
I'll kill your cat

I always heard of the phrase "tit for tat" and somewhat understood it's meaning, but I never quite knew the direct origins for phrase. In all actuality, I discovered one of it's sources while watching the movie "Shoot 'Em Up" starring Clive Owen. At one point during the movie, the main antagonist, played by Paul Giamatti, recites a limerick about it.

I researched the poem but could find very little on the internet. This led me to writing this article, for curious peeps like myself.

So I dove further into the library, did some more research, and found that it was certainly not listed among the childhood nursery rhymes. In all actuatlity, it was a limerick, and it goes something like this:

There was a young girl from Rabat
Who had triplets: Nan, Pat, and Tat.
It was fun in the breeding,
but hell in the feeding,
as she found she had no tit for Tat.

So in case any of you were wondering, there it is.

P.S. Sorry for the short update. I'm lazy.