Origin of word "tip"

[fanjolina]

I've just read that the word tip (in relation to restaurants etc) is an acronym, and these were initially payments used "To Insure Promptness"

But shouldn't it be Ensure?

[hocuspontas]

No, insure is right. It means that if your meal is slow arriving you get your money back

[fanjolina]

[hocuspontas]

Apparently ensure/insure interchangeable according to online dictionaries

[fanjolina]

Really? Well my old English teacher wasn't aware of that!

[senua]

Hmm. Tip is a very old word: how likely is it that ye olde waiters were that literate that they invented acronyms?
snopes

[thumbwitch]

hee hee - just looked up 'golf' on snopes as well - I like the bit about halfway down about the hilariously pedantic and priggish spelling of the word - thought it was peculiarly appropriate for this thread!

[fanjolina]

So have Twining's Tea Museum faked up a box saying "T.I.P"?? travel.uk.msn.com/inspiration/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=147721281&imageindex=16

Or maybe it stood for Tea Is Piss

[fanjolina]

bollocks: travel.uk.msn.com/inspiration/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=147721281&imageindex=16

[DadInsteadofMum]

I always had this one down as acronym myth along with golf and posh.