Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) a trial, verdict and sentence [the patter is that of the judge, counsel, witnesses etc, dismissed as such by the prisoner].

1738		Proc. Old Bailey 13 Jan. 34/2: I heard him say before last Sessions, that he would have a Man or two by next Patter, I suppose he meant, before next Sessions.
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: I’ve received my Patter; I’ve had my Trial.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1799		‘Cant Lang. of Thieves’ Monthly Mag. 7 Jan. [as cit. 1753].
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964).
1818		W. Perry London Guide 186: Going to the Sessions House in the Old Bailey one morning, upon the grand patter, [...] he [i.e. the rcorder of London] left his watch behind.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 133: The Patter is also trial at the Old Bailey.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 19/1: Suppose there were to be any ‘pinching’ in the case, what would become of our ‘stuff’ — [...] They take it from you, and while you are waiting for ‘patter,’ keep so much every week out of it for your grub and lodgings.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 56: Patter, [...] the summing-up of a judge at the close of a trial.
1901		Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: If the operator in ‘jemmies’ [...] has the bad luck to be knapped, frisked, and bagged by a blue duck, a crusher, or an MP [...] he is in due course in for patter, or awaiting trial.

2. (also patter-clatter) any form of speech or speechifying, e.g. a street seller’s sales talk, a judge’s summing up.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: I’ve received my Patter; I’ve had my Trial.
1772		G. Stevens ‘The Toper’ in Songs Comic and Satyrical 74: The politic patter, / Which both parties chatter.
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 180: Gammon and Patter. Jaw talk, etc. A fellow that speaks well, they say he gammons well, or he has a great deal of rum patter.
1791		‘A Song, How a Flat became a Prigg’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 21: But that was no matter, he stood as the pattur, / He gammoned the twelve.
1800		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVI 26/1: The coachmen and chairmen being a little obstropolos, was obliged to tip them a little patter.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 454: Poll, says I, hold your luff—give us no more patter about this here rum rig.
1830		Mr Mathews’ Comic Annual 9: Ev’ry member elate, in boisterous mirth is clattering, / Such patter and prate, – in person each gets fatter in.
1841		Northern Star (Leeds) 27 Feb. 7/6: The patter-clatter of the ‘Learned’ Gentleman was finally terminated by the Alderman dismissing the case.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 61: What a flat, send I may live, if he can stag chaff from square patter; why, you nunk, couldn’t you tumble to the pallary.
1849		Liverpool Mail 10 Mar. 3/3: [of a scolding wife] David (a man of meek and kindly spirit) had long suffered from the patter-clatter, never-ending, scolding tongue of his worser half.
1855		W. Phillips Wild Tribes of London 84: He padded the country lanes – and, my eye! didn’t the narvous old ladies shell out when Jack dropped the patter.
1861		Melbourne Punch ‘City Police Court’ 3 Oct. 234/1: Prisoner.- Your honor, I’ve won the shiney rag, now, and mayhap shall get sevenpen’north, so Don’t be hard upon a cove as is in for patter.
1864		Derby Day 155: ‘That will do, mother,’ he said; ‘I think I have had my five shillings’ worth’; but the gipsy would not be ‘choked off’ until she had finished the ‘patter’ she had learnt by heart.
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 199: Having learned all the patter-clatter, he used to work away in right down earnest.
1880		R. Rowe Picked Up in the Streets 231: Mother Brimstone did the pious patter as well as any parson.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 17 July 7/2: You come on thar, Cully, and I slings you the patter — see?
1899		R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street 221: ‘Walk up, walk up!’ That was the patter.
1907		Lone Hand (Sydney) Nov. 58/2: The patter is often ‘blue’ and humorous.
1908		Sporting Times 28 Mar. 9/2: Offers me £10,000 per week to appear at his house, and do what he calls ‘some spicy patter’ for fifteen minutes.
1915		‘Ian Hay’ First Hundred Thousand (1918) 5: They are a little shaky in what an actor would call their ‘patter’.
1922		B. Hecht A Thousand and One Afternoons [ebook] [of an auctioneer] The kind that hang on your words and breathe hard while you cut loose with the patter.
1929		(con. 1916) F. Manning Her Privates We (1986) 38: All I learnt in the army was me drill an’ care o’ bloody arms. I knew all the fuckin’ patter before I joined.
c.1935		‘Mae West in “The Hip Flipper”’ [comic strip] in B. Adelman Tijuana Bibles (1997) 92: Lotta fell for the the Schnozzola’s patter and went up to his apartment.
1946		S. Jackson An Indiscreet Guide to Soho 42: The coster is as chirpy as ever and no historian could tell from [...] his patter that he has been through all the hell that the Luftwaffe could hand out.
1959		W. Hall Long and the Short and the Tall Act II: You’re a real one for handing out the patter.
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 136: The station identification [...] is over and Rube is starting the patter.
1973		B.S. Johnson All Bull 217: He could talk his way into and out of almost anything if he chose to; he had a great line in patter.
1983		Stage (London) 24 Mar. 7/3: Lenny Henry [...] is a confident stand up patter man.
1984		C. White Life and Times of Little Richard 135: Rupe had reservations about the overall flavor of Richard’s between-song patter.
1992		D. Jarman letter 22 May Smiling in Slow Motion (2000) 130: Gingerbits and I have become experts in the patter.
2004		E. Weiner Drop Dead, My Lovely (2005) 109: He’ll can the spicy patter and everything’ll be jakeloo.
2020		G. Armstrong Young Team 48: ‘Wit’s this “no surrender” patter, ya wee Orange bastard?’ Big Kenzie says wae a grin.

3. underworld slang, cant; latterly general slang (see cites 1890, 1896).

1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 150: Gammon and patter is the language of cant .
1841		‘F.L.G.’ Swell’s Night Guide K4: Patter Slang.
1865		H. Kingsley Hillyars and Burtons (1870) 313: None of your Greenwich Fair, New Cut, Romany patter.
1877		R. Burdette Rise and Fall of the Mustache 177: He’s a toney old cyclopedia on the patter, is old Fitchy.
1880		G.R. Sims Three Brass Balls 208: It is thieves’ patter, but someone in the crowd understands it well enough and answers him.
1887		Ft Worth Dly Gaz. (TX) 29 Aug. 6/4: America does not boast of a distinctive thieves’ slang, or ‘patter’.
1890		‘’Arry on the Sincerest Form of Flattery’ in Punch 20 Sept. 144/2: They ain’t fly to good patter, old pal, they ain’t copped the straight griffin on slang.
1896		Pall Mall Gaz. 25 Sept. 7/3: He ‘patter’ [...] was the secret of her success. She possessed an inexhaustible fund of slang .
1897		Deming (N.M.) Headlight 28 May 1/3: The language of criminals – the argot of Paris, the ‘patter’ of London has been carefully investigated by numerous writers.
1901		Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: In many cases the origin of the ‘patter’ is apparent [...] A great deal of it was brought to Australia in the old convict days, and is still in every day use.
1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 458: Patter, The slang of the underworld.

4. talk considered as empty chatter.

1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 39: Gemmen, before I touch the matter, On which I’m here had up for patter.
1828		Lytton Pelham III 292: Stubble it, you ben, you deserve to cly the jerk for your patter.
1841		W. Leman Rede Sixteen String Jack I vi: Stash your patter and come along!
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 5/1: Of course the ‘patter’ was about the affair at Doncaster — who were going and who were not.
1877		Five Years’ Penal Servitude 244: Well she could do the French’s patter, as she’d been there afore.
1884		Henley & Stevenson Admiral Guinea I vi: Stash your patter, damn you.
1891		‘’Arry on a ’ouseboat’ in Punch 15 Aug. 76: Riparian rights? That’s the patter of Ahab to Naboth, of course; / But ’tis pickles like you make it plausible, louts such as you give it force.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 25 May 531: They put down all that patter about storing the nuggets with the Company as so much dust in the eyes.
1922		‘Sapper’ Black Gang 406: All the same old patter.
1985		S. Berkoff West in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 105: Cut out the patter man.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 492: No patter, no nothing.
2001		A. Sillitoe Birthday 159: They would think him empty and dull if he didn’t keep the patter going, though not so much that she would think him a motormouth.

5. a (foreign) language.

1886

‘’Arry on Commercial Education’ in Punch 26 Sept. in P. Marks (2006) 125: Three patters and two quid a week will not suit / Yours disgustedly / ’Arry.

6. in fig. use, attitude, lifestyle.

2001		I. Welsh Glue 35: Ah dinnae hud wi that sort ay patter; as if ye huv tae be aw torn-faced tae drive a fuckin lorry.
2015		I. Welsh Decent Ride 80: So the burd’s gaunny be fish food in twenty minutes, but ah’m no that struck oan her patter.