pat on the back

The Liberal Democrat gathering in Brighton amounted to the party giving itself a four-day pat on the back.

There was the consoling pat on the back from Harry Diamond.

That self-congratulatory cinematic gesture almost feels insulting, when it’s the audience who deserves a reassuring pat on the back.

And while comedy guest stars Bob Odenkirk, Jamie Lee Curtis, Olivia Colman and Will Poulter all turn in extraordinary performances in "The Bear," where is Oliver Platt's pat on the back?

In that way, likes are a major tool of online community building, like a digital nod of the head or a pat on the back.