to a T
10
7.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
a la perfección
- He always dresses for work to a T, never missing a detail.
- fits you to a T
- suits me to a T
- follow the guidelines to a T
Examples
-
The people at the shelter described him to a T.
Fiction book (2002) -
You just described him to a T.
-
And, God love her, she played her part to a T.
-
You played it to a T.
-
In other words, a managed decline would suit his needs to a T.
Blog text (31) -
The description fits this picture to a T.
-
I promise you, it fit Donald Sullivan to a t.
-
"Mars was named for her birth sign, and it suits her to a T," she said.
Fiction book (1994) -
I followed the directions to a T, and it was so yummy!
Blog text (8) -
I had followed the directions in the Betty Crocker cookbook to a T.
Blog text (33)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
In a completely correct way
775
1.0
Completely, to show that something is true
163
3.0
In a correct and exact way
124
3.7
Do something in an exact and careful way
39
4.4
To do something in a careful, exact way to get the right result
31
6.0
Exactly right in what someone says or does
23
4.4
Act exactly as told, without changing any detail
19
3.5
In a way that is done very well in every detail
1
7.7
Exactly the right amount or degree needed
Exactly the same in every small detail
So exact that it leaves no room for error
Antonyms
How Exact
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'to' + 'a' + the letter 'T' do not compose to 'exactly' or 'perfectly' — knowing the separate words gives no clear clue to the idiomatic sense. The phrase is a conventionalized idiom (compare the variant 'to a tee') whose meaning is not derivable from its constituents, so a B1 learner unfamiliar with the expression would not predict its sense.
Etymology
The idiom to a T may come from an old mark used to show a perfect fit: tailors or carpenters would make a T mark and make parts fit exactly to that mark. That's why to a T means 'exactly' or 'perfectly'.