Definition

Noun: A simple pencil-and-paper game for two players, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid with an "X" or an "O". The player who succeeds in placing three of their marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row wins the game.

Usage

This word refers specifically to the game itself. It is often used to describe a casual, quick game played for fun. * Let's play a quick game of tit-tat-toe. * She drew a grid for tit-tat-toe on her notepad. * Tit-tat-toe is often one of the first strategy games children learn.

Advanced Usage

• "A game of tit-tat-toe": The standard phrase for describing an instance of playing.
  • We killed time with a game of tit-tat-toe.

Variants and Related Words

• Tic-tac-toe: This is the most common and standard modern spelling of the word.
• Noughts and crosses: The common name for this game in British English.

Synonyms

• Noughts and crosses (UK English)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Like a game of tit-tat-toe": Used metaphorically to describe a simple, predictable, or back-and-forth situation.
  • The negotiations became a tedious game of tit-tat-toe, with neither side gaining an advantage.

Noun

1. a game in which two players alternately put crosses and circles in one of the compartments of a square grid of nine spaces; the object is to get a row of three crosses or three circles before the opponent does