There is a persistent rumour 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 has been in the mainstream, both as a verb and a noun, since the 18th century.
Tipping dates back to the feudal system in the Middle Ages in Europe, when servants would perform duties for their wealthy masters and receive a paltry sum in exchange. Eventually, this evolved into gratuities for service industry workers from their customers.
Today, tipping has transformed from those humble origins into a global practice that varies dramatically from country to country — and in Australia, it is rapidly evolving thanks to digital tipping technology.
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