tac-au-tac

noun

The parry which is connected with a riposte.

OriginFrench riposter du tac au tac →
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Meanings

noun
  1. fencingThe parry which is connected with a riposte.
  2. fencingA rapid series of attacks and parries in which neither fencer gains a point.

Origin

  1. Frenchriposter du tac au tac“to parry”
  2. Englishtac-au-tac

From French riposter du tac au tac (“to parry”), where tac imitates the sound made by the steel.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tac-au-tac. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tac-au-tac

MLA

“tac-au-tac.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tac-au-tac. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tac-au-tac,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tac-au-tac.

Source: tac-au-tac on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.