1) "Whats the patter?" is the men right's version of "Whats the matter?" ;-) 2) "Patter is a glib rapid speech, that accompanies and comments some actions, e.g., of an auctioneer, salesperson, or comedian. It was a slang word for the secret or cant language used by beggars, thieves, Gypsies, etc., hence the fluent plausible talk that a cheap-jack employs to pass off his goods. Many illusionists, e.g., card magicians use patter both to enhance the show and to distract the attention of the spectators. It is thus used of any rapid manner of talking, and of a patter-song, in which a very large number of words have to be sung at high speed to fit them to the music. The word, though in some of its senses affected by "patter", to make a series of rapid strokes or pats, as of raindrops, is derived from the way of quick and mechanical mumbling of prayers and is the colloquial shortening of "Pater Noster". In certain forms of entertainment, peep shows (in the historical meaning) and Russian rayok, patter is an important component of a show. The radio DJ patter is among the roots of rapping. In hypnotherapy, the hypnotist uses a 'patter' or script to deliver positive suggestions for change to the client. Patter is also a style of calling in square dancing. During this year's MTV Movie Awards, writer Kip Madsen invented a method of writing presenter patter known as the Madsen Method." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patter 3) "Glasgow patter or Glaswegian is a dialect spoken in and around Glasgow, Scotland. Glasgow patter has evolved over the centuries amongst the working classes, Irish immigrants and passing seamen in the dockyards. The dialect is anglicised west central lowland Scots or Scottish English depending on viewpoint, and features a varied mix of typical Scots expressions and vocabulary, as well as some examples of rhyming slang, local cultural references and street slang. The Patter is used widely in everyday speech in Glasgow, even occasionally in broadcasting and print. 'The Patter', as with all dialects, is constantly evolving and updating itself, forever generating new euphemisms, as well as nicknames for well-known local figures and buildings." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Patter 4) "The patter song is a staple of comic opera, but it has also been used in musicals and other situations. It is characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note (there are few or no melismatic passages). The lyric of a patter song generally features tongue-twisting rhyming text, with alliterative words and other consonant or vowel sounds that are intended to be entertaining to listen to at rapid speed, and the musical accompaniment is lightly orchestrated and fairly simple, to emphasize the text. The song is often intended as a showpiece for a comic character, usually a bass or baritone (with or without choral interjection). The singer should be capable of excellent enunciation in order to show the song to maximum effect. The best-known patter songs come from the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan." "The type of rapid patter described above seems to have originated in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Italian opera. An early example is Bartolo's "La vendetta" in Act 1 of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, which contains the tongue-twisting “Se tutto il codice” section near the end. After Mozart, there are similar examples in the comic operas of Rossini and Donizetti. In most cases, there is no “patter song” as such – the patter forms a late section of a multi-part number." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patter_song La Vendetta (Dr. Bartolo's aria from Nozze di Figaro): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vatuF7sCtY