pat-a-cake

[ pat-uh-keyk ]

noun
  1. a children's game in which a child claps hands alone and with another child while chanting a nursery rhyme.

Origin of pat-a-cake

1
First recorded in 1870–75; after the opening words of a rhyme that accompanies such play

Words Nearby pat-a-cake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pat-a-cake in a sentence

  • Just imagine our kiddies in the workhouse school getting a whole pat-a-cake to eat!

  • Even baby has its "pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake," and is lulled to sleep with visions of a coach and six little ponies.

  • Barby stooped to take the little terrier's head between her hands and pat-a-cake it back and forth with an affectionate caress.

    Georgina of the Rainbows | Annie Fellows Johnston