In the sense of: "The tongs were made with tongs", everything has a cause/ the tongs were made with tongs/ diamonds cut diamond
By metaphor: in a manner where one thing leads to another. One thing gives rise to another through a direct causal connection between them. The things are interdependent. 'One depends on the other', 'a vicious circle'. (Literally: the tongs themselves are made by means of tongs.)
("Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they... the writing, and the writing instrument, and the tablets... and some say, even the tongs made with tongs" – Avot 5:6. And also: "The tongs are made only with [the help of] another tongs, so who made the first one? You must say it was made by itself, by Heaven's hand, created at twilight" – Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura there. And also: "And man? Can he also create something from nothing? Only that the tongs were made with tongs" – Berdyczewski, Writings, II, 21. And also: "The maker of the first, simple needle is the discoverer, not the maker of the complex sewing machine. The tongs were made with tongs... the first tongs is like a 'deed of Heaven'" – Bialik, Yotzer Hanusach)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
בִּבְחִינַת: "צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה"
Definition (Hebrew)
בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: הַדְּבָרִים כְּרוּכִים זֶה בָּזֶה בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁבּוֹ דָּבָר גָּרַר דָּבָר. דָּבָר אֶחָד הוֹלִיד דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּקֶשֶׁר סִבָּתִי יָשִׁיר בֵּינֵיהֶם. 'הָא בְּהֵא תַּלְיָא' (מִלּוּלִית: אֶת הַצָּבַת עַצְמָהּ עוֹשִׂים בְּאֶמְצָעוּת צְבָת).
("עֲשָׂרָה דְּבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בָּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת וְאֵלּוּ הֵן...וְהַכְּתָב וְהַמִּכְתָּב וְהַלּוּחוֹת...וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה"- אָבוֹת ה ה, וְכֵן: "הַצְּבָת אֵינָהּ נַעֲשֵׂית אֶלָּא בִּצְבָת אַחֶרֶת, וְרִאשׁוֹנָה מִי עֲשָׂאָהּ? עַל כָּרְחֲךָ מֵאֵלֶיהָ נַעֲשֵׂית בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם וְנִבְרֵאת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת"- ר' עוֹבַדְיָה מִבַּרְטֵנוּרָה שָׁם, וְכֵן: "וְהָאָדָם? הַאִם גַּם הוּא בּוֹרֵא יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן? אֶלָּא כִּי צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה"- בֶּרְדִּיצֶ'בְסְקִי/ כְּתָבִים, ב, 21, וְכֵן: "יוֹצֵר הַמַּחַט הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, הַפְּשׁוּטָה- הוּא הַמְּגַלֶּה, וְלֹא עוֹשֶׂה הַמְּכוֹנָה הַמֻּרְכֶּבֶת לִתְפִירָה. צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה...הַצְּבָת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה הִיא מֵעֵין 'מַעֲשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם'"- בְּיָאלִיק/ יוֹצֵר הַנֹּסַח)