Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1985-1991
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PATTER, n. Talk, esp. fluent, fast, meant to impress.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 53:
patter A person's line in conversation. This can mean ordinary chatting, as in 'Sit doon an gie's aw yer patter'; it can also mean talk intended to amuse or impress, as in 'He's got some patter that pal a yours', or any kind of insider's language, as in 'Ye'll get naewhere if ye don't know the patter.'wm.Sc. 1991 Liz Lochhead Bagpipe Muzak 24:
And the Patter's street-smart, strictly state-of-the-art,
And our oaths are user-friendly.
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"Patter n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00090529>
