1. A superficial examination of the contents of pockets by running one's hands over the surface in search of weapons, stolen goods, or other articles. 2. The act of running one's hands gently over the pockets of an intended victim in search of a wallet or wad of bills. 3. Okay; trustworthy.

- american underworld dictionary - 1950

Pat. A Saturday Night Live character who is very ambiguous about his/her sex. Played by a cast member nobody remembers. Pat always wore thick glasses, had curly dark hair, and wore a cowboy shirt and pants. She always answered questions ambiguously. It's time for androgyny!

Abbreviation for Pittsburgh Area Transit, also known as PATransit officially. It is run by the Port Authority, and consists of dozens of bus routes and a small light-rail network known as "The T." (For those of you from Boston, rest assured that the logo for Pittsburgh's "T" is very similar to that used in Boston.)

Students of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University pay $28.00 per semester for a sticker on their ID cards that entitles them to unlimited rides on the entire PAT system. This is good, considering that it can take you the country mile from Oakland to the airport, normally a $1.95 fare, for nothing. Unfortunately, as in many cities, the T and bus routes stop running after around 1:00 AM, leaving many partygoers and other night owls at the mercy of the Pittsburgh taxi duopoly.

PAT is also a football (American, not soccer) abbreviation for "point after touchdown".

After a team scores a touchdown, they normally attempt to kick the ball through the goalposts. This is attemped from the 2 yard line in the NFL, 3 yard line in college football, and 5 yard line in the CFL. If done successfully, the team scores a point.

In the XFL, the PAT is the same as a "2-point conversion" in the NFL, where the team most run or throw from the 2 yard line, instead of kicking.

Webster 1913's 'exactly suitable; fit; convenient; timely' has, over the intervening ninety years, come to be more commonly used in a derogatory sense. Nowadays, if something is described as being 'pat', it usually means that it is superficial, too good to be true, or suspiciously convenient.

This undoubtedly comes from the common 'X is too pat', as in the phrase "Obi-Wan's assertation that Luke's father was dead "from a certain point of view" seemed too pat for my liking; I think that George Lucas is making this up as he goes along".

Pat (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Patted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Patting.] [Cf. G. patschen, Prov. G. patzen, to strike, tap.]

To strike gently with the fingers or hand; to stroke lightly; to tap; as, to pat a dog.

Gay pats my shoulder, and you vanish quite. Pope.

 

© Webster 1913.


Pat, n.

1.

A light, quik blow or stroke with the fingers or hand; a tap.

2.

A small mass, as of butter, shaped by pats.

It looked like a tessellated work of pats of butter. Dickens.

 

© Webster 1913.


Pat, a. [Cf. pat a light blow, D. te pas convenient, pat, where pas is fr. F. passer to pass.]

Exactly suitable; fit; convenient; timely.

"Pat allusion."

Barrow.

 

© Webster 1913.


Pat, adv.

In a pat manner.

I foresaw then 't would come in pat hereafter. Sterne.

 

© Webster 1913.

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