pat on the back

Gardner, who personally greeted each of his players as they warmed up before the game, did the same afterward with a hug or a 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?