Sage-Tips

Why is it called down pat?

The phrase “down pat” derives from an old meaning of the noun pat, dating to around 1400, meaning a strike or blow. Today we think of a pat as a soft touch, but back then it would refer to something like a strike with a hand weapon.

What is the meaning of down pat?

phrase. If you have an answer or explanation down pat or off pat, you have prepared and learned it so you are ready to say it at any time.

Is the saying down pat or down pact?

“Down packed” means an individual has rehearsed or practiced something near perfection, according to Urban Dictionary. It is a mispronunciation of “down pat.”

What does down pact mean?

1. down pat – understood perfectly; “had his algebra problems down” mastered, down. perfect – being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish; “a perfect circle”; “a perfect reproduction”; “perfect happiness”; “perfect manners”; “a perfect specimen”; “a perfect day”

What does down to a tee mean?

perfectly
You can use to a T or to a tee to mean perfectly or exactly right. For example, if something suits you to a T, it suits you perfectly. If you have got an activity or a skill down to a T, you have succeeded in doing it exactly right.

What is the origin of down pat?

American poker players in the late 19th century invented this expression to indicate that a player was satisfied with the original hand dealt to him and would draw no more cards. …

What is a synonym for down pat?

irrefutable. manifest. no ifs ands or buts. obvious. pat.

Where did the saying fits you to at come from?

“To a T” or “to a tee,” meaning “exactly, precisely, perfectly” is an older expression than you might think, dating all the way back to the late 17th century (“All the under Villages and Towns-men come to him for Redress; which he does to a T,” 1693).

What does “down Pat” mean?

I suspect that you’re misquoting (if you’re actually not its author). If you meant to ask about only the phrase “down pat”, it means “well memorized” (to the point of being able to recite or perform whatever it is without hesitation).

Where did the expression ‘stand pat’ come from?

Any help is greatly appreciated. From the “Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins” by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, 1997): “stand pat. American poker players in the late 19th century invented this expression to indicate that a player was satisfied with the original hand dealt to him and would draw no more cards.

What is the origin of the phrase ‘off Pat’?

: To have something off pat is to have it exactly right. The saying has been in use since the 17th century but its precise origin is not altogether clear. The best suggestion is that it is derived from the sense of the word a “light touch”.

What is the origin of the phrase ‘off his own bat’?

“Pat”, in my 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, meant “apposite, or to the purpose”. : “Off his own bat” could well have a cricket origin, and the phrase is certainly used in the sense quoted above. In the U.S., to have something “down pat” means to be so practiced at a routine that one is perfectly proficient at it.