down pat

[beachboy]

Would it be right to say Don´t worry, I have the situation down pat, meaning under control? Is it dated or common in everyday English?

[stella1977]

Originally Posted by beachboy

Would it be right to say Don´t worry, I have the situation down pat, meaning under control? Is it dated or common in everyday English?

IDIOMS
I just know that it is an American English idiom meaning(AmE have / know sth down pat) to know sth perfectly so that you can repeat it at any time without having to think about it. The British would say have/know sth off pat.
Whether it is dated or common, I would not dare to comment,native speakers are eligible to do so!

[Barb_D]

As an American, I would not use "down pat" to mean "under control."

Don't worry, I've done this 100 times. I've got it down pat. -- I know what I'm doing.

But you could say "I've got it covered" to mean "I've got it under control," if you're looking for another way to say it.

[beachboy]

Actually, I was looking for the right definition for down pat. I was curious when I saw the lyrics to the Beach Boys` Wendy, where they say Wendy, I thought we had our love down pat, guess I was wrong....

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by beachboy

Actually, I was looking for the right definition for down pat. I was curious when I saw the lyrics to the Beach Boys` Wendy, where they say Wendy, I thought we had our love down pat, guess I was wrong....

The right usage is what Barb_D has given. It's not just American.