French phrase of the day: Du tac au tac

Local France

a day ago

Why do I need to know du tac au tac?
Because French people love a lively debate and this phrase captures the art of rapid-fire responses, something you might encounter in a heated café conversation or a political talk show.
What does it mean?
Du tac au tac
– roughly pronounced 'doo tak oh tak' – means to respond immediately and sharply, without hesitation. It's used to describe someone who answers back in a direct, clever, or snappy way.
In English, the closest equivalents might be 'tit for tat,' 'comeback" or 'quick retort.' But
du tac au tac
puts more emphasis on the speed and cleverness/humour of the reply.
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It's usually used in a positive light, for someone who keeps up in a lively conversation or doesn't let themselves get verbally cornered. But it can also suggest a tense or competitive exchange, like a verbal sparring match.
In sports,
du tac au tac
can describe fast-paced exchanges, especially in tennis, ping-pong, football and fencing.
In fact, the phrase likely comes from fencing, with
tac
as the onomatopoeia of the clack of blades, an image that makes sense when thinking of dialogue as duelling.
Use it like this
Il lui a répondu du tac au tac, sans même réfléchir
- He fired back immediately, without even thinking.
Lyon a encaissé un but à la 60e minute, mais a répliqué du tac au tac avec une frappe deux minutes plus tard
- Lyon conceded a goal in the 60th minute, but fired back immediately with a shot just two minutes later.