Idiom
To a T
If something suits you or is done to a T, it is exactly right, down to the smallest detail.
How people use it
It usually follows verbs like suit, fit, describe and follow: that jacket fits you to a T, or she followed the recipe to a T. It stresses precision, usually with approval. Dictionaries list "to a T" with a capital letter as the main form, though "to a tee" is also common. It is informal and friendly, and it works for clothes, descriptions, copies and instructions alike.
Also said: to a tee.
Examples
- The new curtains match the sofa to a T.
- Maya followed the assembly instructions to a T, and the bookshelf came out perfect.
- That description of my brother fits him to a T.
Where it comes from
No one knows for sure. The phrase is recorded from the late 1600s. The most likely source is the older "to a tittle", a tittle being a tiny written mark such as the dot over an i, so the phrase meant down to the smallest detail. The popular idea that it comes from the T-square, a drawing tool, has a problem: the phrase seems to be older than that name for the tool.
Check yourself
1. If a dress fits you to a T, how does it fit?
Answer: Perfectly. To a T means exactly right in every detail.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: He copied the old painting to a T.. To a T describes something done or matched exactly, like a perfect copy.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in T.