frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

condescendingly, talk down to, treat as (an) inferior, disdain,
demean, put down, humiliate, Formal contemn: He patronizes
people by patting them on the head. 2 bring trade to, deal or
trade or do or transact business with, buy or purchase from,
frequent, shop at, be a customer or client of: You should
patronize the local merchants in your town. 3 sponsor, support,
back, promote, encourage, boost, aid, assist, help, fund,
contribute or subscribe to, underwrite, foster: The fund has
patronized the arts in this town for many years.
patter° v. 1 tiptoe; scurry, scuttle, skip, trip: I could hear the
squirrels pattering across the metal roof. 2 spatter,
pitter-patter, tap, pit-a-pat; beat, pelt: The rain pattered on
the tent with increasing intensity.
--n. 3 spatter, spattering, pit-a-pat, pitter-patter, tattoo,
drum, thrum, beat, beating, tap, ratatat, tap-tap: The
rhythmical patter of the rain lulled me to sleep.
patterý n. 1 pitch, sales talk, spiel, line: Anyone listening to his
patter might be inclined to buy a time-share holiday. 2 chatter,
prattle, prate, babbling, babble, gabble, gabbling, cackle,
cackling, palaver, jabber, jabbering, chit-chat, small talk,
gossip, blather or blether, gibberish or gibber, Chiefly Brit
natter, nattering, Scots clishmaclaver, Colloq gab, gabbing,
Slang gas, hot air, yackety-yack, yack: The chap tapping our
phone had to listen to the teenagers' patter for hours on end.
--v. 3 chatter, prattle, prate, babble, gabble, cackle,
palaver, jabber, rattle (on), chit-chat, chaffer, gossip,
blather or blether, gibber, Chiefly Brit natter, witter (on),
Colloq gab, Slang gas, yackety-yack, yack, jibber-jabber: They
just patter on about nothing in particular.
pattern n. 1 model, original, archetype, prototype, exemplar, paragon,
ideal, standard, yardstick, criterion, gauge, measure: Their
life together could serve as a pattern for any couple. 2
figure, motif, design, device, decoration, ornament: The
pattern of the wallpaper clashes with that of the curtains. 3
system, order, arrangement, plan, theme; repetition,
consistency, orderliness, regularity, sequence, cycle: By
carefully noting the movements of the heavenly bodies, ancient
observers were able to detect a pattern. 4 blueprint, diagram,