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You are here: Home / Language / What does the expression “that’s the ticket” mean and Where does it come from?

What does the expression “that’s the ticket” mean and Where does it come from?

June 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

It may sound a little far-fetched, but nevertheless it’s true that the expression “that’s the ticket” for approval had its origin in a mispronunciation of the French word “etiquette.”

Try it yourself. Put the accent on the second syllable.

You will get “uh-tick’ut.” Someone, perhaps a schoolboy, may have jocularly made a persistent point of such mispronunciation round the year 1800 or later in saying, “that’s etiquette,” that’s the correct thing.

From “that’s uh-tick’ut,” it was an easy and natural corruption to “that’s the ticket,” and the latter phrase acquired general use, making its bow into literature about 1838.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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