patter
n. C / Un. a fast, rhythmic way of speaking, often used to make people laugh or to hide the truth. It can also describe the sound of many small things hitting a surface, like rain on a roof.
n. a rapid, rhythmic, and often meaningless flow of speech, typically used for comedic effect or to distract from a serious topic. Also refers to a series of rapid, light sounds, such as the impact of rain or footsteps.
The comedian used a fast patter to keep the audience laughing.
The patter of the rain against the window was the only sound in the quiet room.
The actor's rapid patter filled the silence, masking the tension in the room with a stream of clever, if slightly irrelevant, observations.
1610s, pat + -er (“frequentative (indicating repeated action)”), of (onomatopoeia) origin.
Noun is from Middle English pater, verb is from Middle English pateren. Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.
From pat + -er (“agent”).