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There’s a persistent rumor that the word “tip,” when used to refer to a gratuity, is an acronym for "To Insure Promptness,” "To Insure Performance,” or “To Insure Prompt Service.” This is false. Around the 1700s, “tip” was underworld jargon among petty criminals as a verb meaning “give” or “share.” It’s been in the mainstream, both as a verb and a noun, since the 18th century.