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regler le sort d'eventuelles oppositions
il s'exclame

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

il réfute du tac au tac

English translation:

he quickly rebutted, point for point

Added to glossary by Elizabeth Lyons
Apr 29, 2005 14:29
19 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term

il réfute du tac au tac

French to English Social Sciences Idioms / Maxims / Sayings semantics
il réfute du tac au tac
(describing someone's debate style )

can this phrase be understood in more than one way?

I just want to make sure I understand the exact meaning of the phrase. Thanks very much :-)
Proposed translations (English)
5 +2 to snap back, a quick rebuttal or retort, etc.
5 +2 denies/objects without losing a bit
4 +2 tit for tat
4 +1 quid pro quo
4 +1 he flashed back immediately
5 head on
3 +1 gives as good as he gets
3 he rejects/dismisses/denies everything out of hand
3 not for grading
3 he responded blow by blow

Discussion

Elizabeth Lyons May 1, 2005:
Rita, thank you; who would have thought du tac au tac would be so robust :)
Non-ProZ.com May 1, 2005:
I want to say that I was wowed by everyone's contribution. Not a bad one in the bunch, but I needed something low-key, very descriptive. Just goes to show that there is rarely only one good answer and we all have style:-)
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X) Apr 29, 2005:
in the language of debate: a direct rebuttal of an argument, it just came to me after several hours...sometimes these things take time..
Non-ProZ.com Apr 29, 2005:
I would like to leave this open for awhile to see everyone's comments; very interesting to hear the wide variety of opinions :-)
Glen McCulley Apr 29, 2005:
Rita..; but EVERYBODY's seen 'silence of the lambs' ;-)..; thanlks for the positive criticism
Non-ProZ.com Apr 29, 2005:
to Glen: thanks very much but this is very low-key language, simply describing someone's mannerisms;I do agree that would work in a newspaper article, for example.
Non-ProZ.com Apr 29, 2005:
PETIT ROBERT: r�pondre, riposter du tac au tac = r�pondre � un mot d�sagr�able en rendant aussit�t la pareille.
Non-ProZ.com Apr 29, 2005:
any additional clarification is welcome, even in French only, thanks!

Proposed translations

+2
1 hr
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac
Selected

to snap back, a quick rebuttal or retort, etc.

A quick retort/rebuttal. This is its meaning in this context, imo.

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Note added at 1 hr 8 mins (2005-04-29 15:37:44 GMT)
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In English, the vernacular equivalent is literally: tit for tat, to answer or respond tit for tat.

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Note added at 1 hr 13 mins (2005-04-29 15:43:32 GMT)
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Tit for tat is the contraction of This for That. I would use quick rebuttal in the context of a debate.

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Note added at 1 hr 15 mins (2005-04-29 15:44:55 GMT)
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In this sentence: \"he quickly rebutted, point for point\".

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Note added at 3 hrs 7 mins (2005-04-29 17:36:57 GMT)
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Quick rebuttal, retort, snapping back, sharp reply all, to my mind, are more appropriate for conveying this in written English than so close and literal a translation. Tit for tat just seems a bit colloquial and overused, especially in everyday conversation.
Peer comment(s):
agree suezen
1 hr
Thankyou Suezen!
agree VBaby : couldn't agree more
7 hrs
Vbaby, thanks !
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: ""he quickly rebutted, point for point" just fits the bill, thanks to all! "
+1
24 mins
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

quid pro quo

i'd use something along teh lines of quid pro quo... what do you think?
Peer comment(s):
neutral Elizabeth Lyons : In Latin; in English: tit for tat.
46 mins
agree Georges Clermont : This has the advantage of implying there can be refutation of arguments, as in the original text.
3 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
30 mins

he flashed back immediately

he responded in a flash

sorry - flashers sounds dubious but it is the term here.

he snapped back at once - if it is getting nasty

It means indeed to reply without missing a beat but it also implies at the same level of nastiness or wittiness or whatever

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Note added at 2005-04-29 15:00:41 (GMT)
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was his immediate rejoinder......

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Note added at 2005-04-29 15:00:56 (GMT)
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it is indeed the notion of cut and thrust

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Note added at 2005-04-29 15:30:05 (GMT)
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he denied it in a flash
Peer comment(s):
agree Florence Bremond
22 mins
agree suezen
2 hrs
disagree Georges Clermont : snapping doesn't imply refutation of arguments, which is explicit in the French text .
3 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
42 mins
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

gives as good as he gets

that's the idea of it IMHO :-)
Peer comment(s):
agree Charlie Bavington : this is more or less my understanding of it, too.
5 hrs
thanks Charlie :-)
Something went wrong...
53 mins
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

he rejects/dismisses/denies everything out of hand

with the idea that it's quick and automatic, like a reflex action. "out of hand" - i.e. without taking time to think. Just a suggestion. I'm as interested as everyone else in all the other suggestions.
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1 hr
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

not for grading

Glossaire de l'escrime

http://www.escrime-info.com/modules/glossaire/glossaire-aff....
Tac au tac : Riposter du tac au tac, se dit, par onomatopée, d'une riposte directe détachée du fer adverse, après une parade du tac.
Tac : Parer du tac, c'est écarter la lame adverse avec un battement.
Battement : Manière de frapper la lame adverse.
Something went wrong...
+2
1 hr
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

tit for tat

I think you'll find it just means that he always parries with a similar argument, a very 'confrontational' style of debate. You know, like playing 'noughts and crosses' --- it's such a stupid game, because wherever you mark your cross, you know perfectly well that your opponent is going to block your next move with their nought, until such time as one of you makes a silly mistake.

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Note added at 2 hrs 54 mins (2005-04-29 17:24:31 GMT)
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\"He\'s always got an answer for everything\"

You KNOW how irritating those people are!

(and that includes me, apparently!)
Peer comment(s):
agree Sara Noss
1 hr
Thanks, Babayag!
neutral Elizabeth Lyons : As I noted, tit for tat is literal, but I think this idiomatic expression is used in many ways and we need a better version of the idea for conveying a debating technique or style.:)
1 hr
Thanks, Elizabeth! I'm sure there are as many ways of rendering it as there are contexts it is used in... :-)
agree sarahl (X)
5 hrs
Thanks, Sarah!
Something went wrong...
4 mins
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

head on

comes from fencing...means to refute something head on...a head on thrust..

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Note added at 4 mins (2005-04-29 14:34:21 GMT)
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with no mincing of words

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Note added at 1 hr 3 mins (2005-04-29 15:32:56 GMT)
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Tac
Parer du tac, c\'est écarter l\'attaque adverse avec un battement.

Tac au tac
Riposter du tac au tac se dit d\'une riposte directe détachée du fer adverse après une parade du tac.



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Note added at 5 hrs 1 min (2005-04-29 19:30:42 GMT)
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to meet the challenge head on
to answer the question head on ..

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Note added at 5 hrs 1 min (2005-04-29 19:31:25 GMT)
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final: direct rebuttal

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Note added at 5 hrs 4 mins (2005-04-29 19:33:38 GMT)
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If in fencing, it means to parry at the oponent with crossing swords first..then, here, direct rebuttal ssems to me to best describe this...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Sandra C. : du tac au tac means 'without losing a beat'
17 mins
Merci Sandra....il y a plusieurs façon de dire et de faire pour cette expression
Something went wrong...
+2
19 mins
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

denies/objects without losing a bit

réfuter is more 'to deny' something or 'to object' to something. Du tac au tac: 'without losing a beat'.
so the way I understand it, let's say it's two politicians: the first one makes certain allegations, the second 'réfute du tac au tac'; he denies them withouth losing a beat.

HTH Rita!

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Note added at 20 mins (2005-04-29 14:49:48 GMT)
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of course I meant a BEAT!!

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Note added at 5 hrs 59 mins (2005-04-29 20:28:57 GMT)
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Robert is right, \'without skipping a beat\' is better.
Peer comment(s):
agree GILLES MEUNIER : yes it's my understanding, straight away
3 mins
merci Gilles
agree Robert Frankling : "without skipping a beat"
5 hrs
you're right, thx Robert!
Something went wrong...
6 hrs
French term (edited): il r�fute du tac au tac

he responded blow by blow

I won't clog the site with a blow-by-blow refutation of each example on Timo's
site -- the two foregoing should be sufficiently illustrative. ...
www.aim-dtp.net/aim/evaluation/ gamma_error/bruce_fraser.htm

a little more
intellectually impressive delivering a blow-by-blow refutation of the CIS paper ...
www.usvisanews.com/articles/memo1778.shtml

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Note added at 6 hrs 1 min (2005-04-29 20:30:53 GMT)
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but sees Massimo refute blow by blow every new attempt on his part to invent absurd stories. ...
www.digamma.com/cav/antivampire/defend2.htm
Something went wrong...
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