/pæt; pæt/
adv
1 at once and without hesitation 立刻而不犹豫地
*Her answer came pat. 她回答得很乾脆.
2 (idm 习语) have/know sth off `pat have memorized or know sth perfectly 对某事物记得或了解得很清楚
*He had all the answers off pat. 他把所有答案都记得很清楚.
* She knows the rules off pat. 她对规则了如指掌. stand pat (esp US) refuse to change a decision one has made, an opinion one holds, etc 坚持自己的决定、意见等.

adj
1 exactly right; appropriate 恰好的; 适当的; 适时的.
2 (derog 贬) too quick; glib 过于快的; 伶牙俐齿的; 油嘴滑舌的
*It's a complex question and her answer was too pat. 那问题很复杂, 但她的回答简直是脱口而出.

/pæt; pæt/
v (-tt-)
1 [Tn, Tn.pr] tap (sb/sth) gently with the open hand or with a flat object （用掌或扁平之物）轻拍（某人[某物]）
*pat a dog 轻轻拍狗
* pat sb's hand 轻拍某人的手
* pat a child on the head, ie as a sign of affection 拍拍孩子的头（表示疼爱）
* pat a ball, ie so that it bounces up and down 拍球.
2 [Tn.pr, Tn.p, Cn.a] put (sth) in the specified state or position by patting 将（某物）拍成某状态或拍至某处
*She patted her hair into place/shape. 她把头发拍整齐了.
* She patted down a few wisps of hair. 她拍落几绺头发.
* He patted his face dry (with a towel). 他（用手巾）轻轻把脸拍乾.
3 (idm 习语) pat sb/oneself on the `back congratulate sb/oneself 对某人[自己]表示庆贺、鼓励或赞扬.

n
1 gentle tap with the open hand or with a flat object 轻拍
*She gave the child a pat on the head. 她轻轻拍了一下那孩子的头.
* He gave her knee an affectionate pat/He gave her an affectionate pat on the knee. 他深情地拍了一下她的膝盖.
2 slight sound made by tapping sth gently 轻拍某物发出的声音.
3 ~ (of sth) small mass of sth (esp butter) that has been shaped by patting （拍成的）小团, 小块（尤指黄油）
*a pat of butter 一小块黄油.
4 (idm 习语) a ,pat on the `back (for sth/doing sth) 鼓励; 赞扬
*give sb/get a pat on the back 给某人[得到]鼓励
* She deserves a pat on the back for all the hard work she's done. 她辛勤努力值得赞扬.