pat on the back ?

[anneasquith]

where does this phrase originate from ? TIA.

[Buenchico]

The PHRASE is directly related to the ACTION which it describes. For example, you'll often see a football manager patting his players on their backs as they leave the field, in order to praise them for their efforts. So the metaphorical use of the phrase 'a pat on the back' simply means 'praise'.

Why the action itself occurs has nothing to do with linguistics but it may well be a form of body language developed from the way that parents pat their children on their backs while hugging them. (i.e. the football manager is, in a way, 'hugging' each player but doing so in a way which is more socially acceptable between grown men).

Chris

[chrissa1]

I think You deserve one Buenchico for all your informative answers.

[heathfield]

The action may even have originated before the dawn of mankind - chimps and gorillas can be seen doing it.

[Quizmonster]

Clearly the ACTION is very ancient, but the PHRASE, as such, is nowhere recorded before the 1820s. It appears in a letter from M Edgeworth, part of which reads, "Sydney Smith...patted his friend Holford on the back."