Englishget something down pat
Meaning: To do something repeatedly until one knows how to do it without a mistake; to perfect an activity.
Example: “She practiced her speech until she had it down pat.”
Equivalents in other languages
Dutch: Iets onder de knie hebben Literally: To have something under the knee
Origin: Built on the older adjective "pat," meaning apt, fitting, or precisely suited to the moment, current in English by the 1500s and itself possibly connected to "pat" as a light, well-aimed tap or blow — a strike that lands exactly where intended rather than glancing off. "Down pat" for something thoroughly mastered or memorized to the point of flawless, automatic recall is documented from around the mid-1500s, though etymologists have not settled on precisely why "pat" specifically became attached to the idea of perfect memorization rather than any other word carrying the same sense of exactness.
More English idioms
- give someone a song and dance To give someone an overly dramatic or unbelievable excuse.
- go around in circles To be confused or lost; to make no progress.
- go bananas To go crazy; to no longer be able to cope with a situation. To drive someone bananas mean…
- go broke To run out of money completely; to become penniless.
- go for broke To risk everything.
- go haywire To malfunction; to break down.
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