(~s, ~ting, ~ted)
1.
If you ~ something or someone, you tap them lightly, usually with your hand held flat.
‘Don’t you worry about any of this,’ she said ~ting me on the knee...
The landlady ~ted her hair nervously...
Wash the lettuce and ~ it dry.
VERB: V n on n, V n, V n adj
•
Pat is also a noun.
He gave her an encouraging ~ on the shoulder.
N-COUNT
2.
A ~ of butter or something else that is soft is a small lump of it.
N-COUNT: usu N of n
3.
If you say that an answer or explanation is ~, you disapprove of it because it is too simple and sounds as if it has been prepared in advance.
There’s no ~ answer to that...
ADJ disapproval
4.
If you give someone a ~ on the back or if you ~ them on the back, you show them that you think they have done well and deserve to be praised.
The players deserve a ~ on the back...
PHRASE: V inflects approval
5.
If you have an answer or explanation down ~ or off ~, you have prepared and learned it so you are ready to say it at any time.
I have my story down ~...
PHRASE: V inflects