Patter vs Patzer - What's the difference?
patter | patzer |
The soft sound of feet walking on a hard surface.
*{{quote-book, year=1907, author=
, title=The Dust of Conflict
, chapter=7 To make irregularly repeated sounds of low-to-moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.
* Thomson
To spatter; to sprinkle.
* J. R. Drake
To speak in such a way – glibly and rapidly, such as from an auctioneer, or when bantering during a sports event.
* Mayhew
English onomatopoeias
(chess, slang) A poor player; an amateur.
*2004 , Nigel Short, The Sunday Telegraph , 5 Sep 2004:
*:If you have learned the principle that it is inadvisable to move the same piece twice in the opening you would probably imagine that these guys are patzers .
As nouns the difference between patter and patzer
is that patter is godfather while patzer is blunder.patter
English
Etymology 1
1610s, of (onomatopoeia) origin.Noun
(en noun)- I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark.
citation, passage=The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed.}}
Derived terms
* pitter-patterVerb
(en verb)- The bullets pattered into the log-cabin walls.
- The stealing shower is scarce to patter heard.
- Patter the water about the boat.
Etymology 2
Circa 1400, from . Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.Verb
(en verb)- I've gone out and pattered to get money.