give someone a pat on the back—express appreciation of smb.’s performance, competence, etc.:
- He never gave me a pat on the back. I mean, I wanted him to recognize me—to be proud of me.
Cf.: give oneself a pat on the back—congratulate oneself on getting a good job done, etc.:
- If I could dive like that—well, I’d give myself a big pat on the back.
give someone a pat on the shoulder—draw a person’s attention to smth.:
- This article just gave me a tap on the shoulder and made me realize how long I have been single. It has been years!