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As I have always heard, it is a Poker reference to being able to pat the table when you have a good hand and do not need to be dealt any more cards.
Excerpt from the a website explaining this possible origin:
Every poker player knows that feeling when one is dealt a pat hand: you glance at the 5 diamonds you've been dealt, and it makes a vivid impression. You don't need to glance at it again and again to verify what you have: you have it down pat..
Although I buy the idiom's origin being the poker reference, another explanation I've read is that a pat (in the sense of being exact, appropriate) comes from "hit with a pat", to hit accurately, not miss.
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∙ 13y ago
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What does the idiom 'have it down pat' mean?
If you have something down pat, you understand it totally. This phrase can be used when you have learned a new skill, or memorized something. You say "I have that down pat," when you are confident that you know it.
What is the origin of the phrase down cellar in a teacup?
Plenty more down cellar in a teacup
What is the origin of the phrase 'sent down'?
This phrase originates with the 'Old Bailey' in London, where the remand cells were literally under the court itself.
What is the origin of the phrase ram page?
There is no such phrase. There is a word rampage. It is of Scottish origin, perhaps from RAMP, to rear up.
Is pat down one word or two?
The correct way to write this is pat down. So your answer is two words.An example sentence is: This officer will give you a pat down to see if you have drugs on you.
What is origin of phrase simmer down?
IRISH
What does the idiom 'have it down pat' mean?
If you have something down pat, you understand it totally. This phrase can be used when you have learned a new skill, or memorized something. You say "I have that down pat," when you are confident that you know it.
What is the origin of the phrase to buckle down?
ponerse el cinturon
What is the origin of the phrase down cellar in a teacup?
Plenty more down cellar in a teacup
What is the origin of the phrase 'sent down'?
This phrase originates with the 'Old Bailey' in London, where the remand cells were literally under the court itself.
What is the origin of the term Life of Riley?
This phrase originated in a popular song of the 1880s, "Is That Mr. Reilly?" by Pat Rooney, which described what its hero would do if he suddenly came into a fortune.
What is the origin of the phrase eat you?
There is no such phrase as "eat you".
What is the origin of the phrase down and out?
Down-and-out is from a situation where a beaten prizefighter is knocked unconcious. It originated in 1889 in American English from pugilism (boxing or fist fighting).
What is the origin of the phrase ram page?
There is no such phrase. There is a word rampage. It is of Scottish origin, perhaps from RAMP, to rear up.
What phrase of a Greek origin means the common people?
The phrase of Greek origin referring to the common people is "hoi polloi."
Is pat down one word or two?
The correct way to write this is pat down. So your answer is two words.An example sentence is: This officer will give you a pat down to see if you have drugs on you.
What is the origin of the phrase on the rocks?
"on the rocks"
