Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To make a quick succession of small sounds by striking against the ground or any object: as, the pattering of raindrops on a roof.
- To move with quick steps, making a succession of small sounds; hence, to make a succession of small sounds resembling those of short quick steps or of falling rain or hailstones.
- To cause to strike or beat in drops; spatter.
- noun A quick succession of small sounds: as, the patter of rain or hail; the patter of little feet.
- To repeat the Lord's Prayer; hence, generally, to pray.
- To talk; especially, to talk glibly or rapidly, as a cheap John in disposing of his wares.
- To repeat something again and again in a rapid or mumbling way; mumble; mutter.
- To repeat rapidly or often, especially in a hurried, mumbling way; repeat hurriedly and monotonously; mumble; mutter: as, to
patter prayers. - noun Talk, especially glib or fluent talk; the oratory of a cheap John in disposing of his wares.
- noun Gossip; chatter.
- noun The dialect or patois of a class; slang; cant: as, gipsies’ patter; thieves’ patter.
- To eat.
- noun Rapid phrases introduced into a song in a speaking voice: sometimes applied to the whole text of a comedy.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To strike with a quick succession of slight, sharp sounds
- intransitive verb To mutter; to mumble.
- intransitive verb colloq. To talk glibly; to chatter; to harangue.
- transitive verb rare To spatter; to sprinkle.
- transitive verb To mutter; as prayers.
- transitive verb [Slang] to talk in thieves' cant.
- noun A quick succession of slight sounds
- noun Glib and rapid speech; a voluble harangue.
- noun The cant of a class; patois
- noun Cant or Colloq. The language or oratory of a street peddler, conjurer, or the like, hence, glib talk; a voluble harangue; mere talk; chatter; also, specif., rapid speech, esp. as sometimes introduced in songs.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One who
pats . - noun
Glib andrapid speech, such as from anauctioneer , orbanter during a sports event. - verb To speak in such a way –
glibly andrapidly , such as from anauctioneer , or whenbantering during a sports event. - noun The soft sound of
feet walking on a hard surface. - verb To make irregularly repeated sounds of low-to-moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb rain gently
- verb make light, rapid and repeated sounds
- noun a quick succession of light rapid sounds
- noun plausible glib talk (especially useful to a salesperson)
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The only similar patter is the Roaring 20′s, but on a much smaller scale.
Irrational Exhuberance and the Animal Spirits : Law is Cool 2009
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I can't imagine a Spielberg film ending with a young boy watching a senator speak on TV and turning away because his patter is utterly irrelevant and probably full of lies.
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Personally, I see no break from the longer term patter established beginning last April, although I very much want to see declines from 480,000 in the next couple of weeks.
The Bonddad Blog New Deal democrat 2010
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And for the first time, I actually listen to the patter from the little guys fighting and dying on our screen; We're fucking dying over here!
Naughty words... zornhau 2009
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In the first of his four nights at the Metropolitan, it was impossible to miss the polarized extremes of his presentation: In his onstage patter, which is a wry parody of the pretentious things that performers say and critics write, he is slyly understated and as dry as six martinis.
Swinging Into New Styles Will Friedwald 2011
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At first, she thought it was simply his natural, outward-looking character, but when he time and again slid around her carefully posed questions, when she caught a flicker of his lashes, and a sharp, far-from-innocent glance, she realized his patter was a shield of sorts — a defense he deployed, all but instinctively, against women who wanted to get to know him.
The Perfect Lover Laurens, Stephanie 2003
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What our great ballad-writers call the patter of tiny feet is stilled.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 147, August 12, 1914 Various 1898
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The patter was an integral part of the show, and clearly road-tested: She knew she'd get a laugh when she said the songs on "Interpretations" were written by young Britons "who were high" and had to be revamped for "a 65-year-old black woman who was drunk."
The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post Mark Jenkins 2011
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"It makes my heart patter, like that" -- she made her little fingers "patter" - "to be wooed even by a Yankee.
The Ne'er-Do-Well Rex Ellingwood Beach 1913
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The sales people I work with are learning how to listen more, to cut out the 'patter' and build relationships.
reesetee commented on the word patter
Originally paternoster
March 7, 2007