Meaning & use
pat answers
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Meanings
nounpluraldisapproving
Replies that come out quickly and smoothly but are too simple to deal with the real problem.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun; the singular 'a pat answer' refers to one such reply.
Patterns
- give pat answers
- pat answers about something
- pat answers to a question
When parents ask about the new rules, the head teacher gives pat answers and changes the subject.
The report is full of pat answers to problems that need money, not slogans.
He had a pat answer ready for every question the journalists threw at him.
nounpluraldisapproving
Replies that a person repeats automatically, without thinking about the particular situation.
Grammar: Plural noun; it usually follows verbs like 'give', 'offer' or 'have'.
Patterns
- have a pat answer ready
- offer pat answers
- sound like a pat answer
Her interview answers sounded like pat answers learned the night before.
Customers can tell when a help desk is reading out pat answers.
After years in the job, he could produce pat answers without listening properly.
Word forms
| singular | pat answer |
|---|
Common combinations
- give pat answers
- Politicians often give pat answers when the question is difficult.
- a pat answer to a problem
- Freezing prices is a pat answer to a problem that needs long-term planning.
- sound like a pat answer
- Her apology sounded like a pat answer, so nobody believed it.
- have a pat answer ready
- He always has a pat answer ready for awkward questions.
- dismiss something with a pat answer
- The manager dismissed our worries with a pat answer about company policy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stock answer
- A stock answer is a standard reply kept ready for repeated use; it need not be as shallow as a pat answer, which strongly suggests the reply avoids the real issue.
- cliché
- A cliché is an overused phrase or idea in general; a pat answer is specifically a reply to a question, and it is criticized for being too easy.
- sound bite
- A sound bite is a short, memorable remark made for the media; a pat answer may be short and smooth, but the criticism is that it explains nothing.
Opposites
Word family
- pat adjective
- Said or done too quickly and easily, without enough thought.
Commonly confused: pat answers or pat answer?
pat answers vs pat answer
Learners sometimes use 'pat answer' to mean a clever or perfect answer, but the phrase is critical: it suggests the reply is too simple or automatic.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pat answers' in the usual disapproving way?
Choose one answer.
'Pat answers' are quick, smooth replies that do not deal with the real difficulty, so sentence B fits. The others praise the replies, which clashes with the disapproving meaning of the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pat answers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.