patter song

American  

noun

1. a comic song depending for its humorous effect on rapid enunciation of the words, occurring most commonly in comic opera and operetta.

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patter song British  

noun

1. music a humorous song or aria, the text of which consists of rapid strings of words

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Etymology

Origin of patter song

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patter song

Over the years, it became an established tradition that Ko-Ko rewrite his patter song, “I’ve Got a Little List,” to keep the operetta’s satire topical.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

Mr. Brady pulled off Don Profondo’s patter song “Medaglie incomparabili,” a tongue-twisting list of precious objects, as an auctioneer’s spiel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2025

Evelyn's is a patter song and it’s very ga-ga-ga-ga-ga, because her brain is sort of everywhere.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023

The film is set in the 1930s, so if you squint and look at it sideways, what he unspools is, in the parlance of that era, a patter song.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2018

Later, in Act II, Mr. Mastro gets an amusing, sewer-themed patter song, “Love Gone Down the Drain.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 10, 2017