pat

petite tape

Contact léger de la main ouverte, souvent pour montrer de l’affection ou de l’approbation.

En anglais simple : A gentle touch with an open hand, often to show care or approval.

• She gave the dog a pat.
• He thanked me with a pat on the back.
• A gentle pat on her hand made her smile.

Comment l'utiliser : give someone a pat on something (She gave him a pat on the shoulder.)

Synonymes : tap

Expressions courantes : gentle pat, a reassuring pat, pat on something, a friendly pat

petit bruit sec

Petit bruit produit lorsqu’une chose touche ou frappe doucement une surface.

En anglais simple : The soft sound made when something touches or hits a surface lightly.

• I heard a soft pat.
• The pat of rain broke the silence.
• We listened to the quiet pat of her feet on the floor.

Synonymes : tap

Expressions courantes : soft pat, pat of rain, pat of feet, pat of footsteps

tapoter

Toucher doucement quelqu’un ou quelque chose avec la main ouverte, souvent plusieurs fois.

En anglais simple : To touch someone or something gently with your open hand, often several times.

• She patted his hand.
• He patted the child gently on the back.
• Pat the fish dry before cooking it.

Comment l'utiliser : pat someone on the head/back/shoulder (He patted me on the shoulder.); pat something dry (Pat your face dry with a soft towel.)

Synonymes : tap, dab

Expressions courantes : pat someone's back, pat someone gently, pat something dry

caresser

Passer doucement la main sur un animal pour lui montrer de l’affection.

En anglais simple : To move your hand gently over an animal to show affection.

• Can I pat your dog?
• She patted the horse's neck gently.
• The children took turns patting the friendly puppy.

Synonymes : pet, stroke

Expressions courantes : pat a dog, pat a horse, pat the cat

aplatir, tasser

Appuyer plusieurs fois avec la main ouverte sur quelque chose pour l’aplatir, le lisser ou le façonner.

En anglais simple : To press something repeatedly with your open hand to make it flat, smooth, or a particular shape.

• Pat the soil down gently.
• She patted the dough into a circle.
• He patted the sand flat with both hands.

Comment l'utiliser : pat something flat/smooth (She patted the dough flat with her hands.); pat something into something (Pat the mixture into a round shape.)

Synonymes : press, flatten, smooth

Expressions courantes : pat something flat, pat something down, pat into shape

par cœur, parfaitement

De façon si bien maîtrisée qu’on peut se souvenir de quelque chose ou le faire facilement, sans erreur.

En anglais simple : So well that you can remember or perform something easily and without mistakes.

• I've got the routine down pat.
• She knew all her lines off pat.
• Have you learned the steps pat yet?

Comment l'utiliser : have/get something down pat (After weeks of practice, she had the dance down pat.); know something off pat (He knew the opening speech off pat.)

Synonymes : perfectly, by heart

Expressions courantes : down pat, off pat, have something pat

bien trouvé, approprié

Tout à fait adapté à une situation, surtout pour une parole dite au bon moment.

En anglais simple : Exactly right for a particular situation, especially when said at the right moment.

• Her reply was perfectly pat.
• He found a pat expression for the occasion.
• That pat remark captured exactly what everyone was thinking.

Synonymes : apt, fitting, appropriate, timely

Contraires : inappropriate, inapt

Expressions courantes : pat reply, pat expression, pat remark