Idiom: a pat on the back resulting from an almost hug, usually in the nature of a female distancing herself from a male, derived from the traditional hug turned "there there" pat received from one's grandmother, which is less insulting to the reciever in this contect.
Hey, your Granny Flo may even give you a traditional grandma pat on the back/comforting hug to console you after hot Tina from summer camp gave you a disappointing grandma pat and "k, bye!" at the end of the summer.
by nicoicon August 3, 2011