down pat

English

Etymology

Unknown, but clearly related to pat (“suitable, fitting”, adjective) and pat (adverb); possibly related to pat (“light tap”) in the sense of hitting the mark.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

down pat (not comparable)

1. Thoroughly practiced, rehearsed, or understood; mastered.

   Synonym: off pat

   Coordinate terms: down cold, down to a fine art, down to a science, down to a T

   to have … down pat

   • 1913 October, Jack London, chapter VIII, in The Valley of the Moon, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, book III, page 399:

     She's got that Indian wrestlin' down pat, an' she's built for it.

   • 2008 October 10, Clifford Coonan, “The Bruce Lee legend”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 4 November 2008:

     He has the look of Bruce Lee down pat, with the same defiant expression and spare but muscled frame.

   • 2023 November 26, Patrick Chovanec, “This Is Your Pilot Speaking”, in The Atlantic‎:

     The first “solo”—flying the airplane all by yourself without an instructor alongside you in the cockpit—is the crucible for every new pilot. You get to do it only when your instructor is convinced that you have your landings down pat.

Anagrams

• pat down, patdown