___ on the back (approval) — Daily Themed Crossword Answer
This clue appeared in the December 26 2025 Daily Themed Crossword. The answer is below, with its letter count.
The answer
PAT
3 letters
If this does not fit your grid, check the letter count above against the squares you have. Clues get reused across daily puzzles and themed packs, and the same wording can point at a different word.
Where this clue appears
December 26 2025
Daily
Daily Themed Crossword December 26 2025
PAT
___ on the back (praise)
PAT
3
Reassuring touch on the back
PAT
3
___ down (frisk at the airport)
PAT
3
___ down (frisk)
PAT
3
Encouraging touch on the back
PAT
3
___-a-cake (kids' game)
PAT
3
___ down (frisk at the airport)
PAT
3
"Wheel of Fortune" former host Sajak
PAT
3
Reassuring touch on the back
PAT
3
___ on the back (show of approval)
PAT
3
___ Summitt, college basketball coach who coached a whopping 1,098 career wins with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols
PAT
3
Light touch on the back
PAT
3
___ bear (mother bear)
MAMA
4
___-fi ("Avatar" genre)
SCI
3
Flutter, like a bird's wings (rhymes with "slap")
FLAP
4
Singer ___ Clapton of "Layla"
ERIC
4
Charged particle
ION
3
Volcanic flow
LAVA
4
"Jack and Jill ___ up the hill ..."
WENT
4
How-___ (instruction manuals)
TOS
3
Leave off the list
OMIT
4
"___ nearly time, get ready!"
ITS
3
Still stuck?
Match the letter count first — it rules out most wrong answers on its own. If your grid needs a different length, use the search box at the top of the page and we will list every recorded clue and answer that matches your text.
Answers come from the published Daily Themed Crossword puzzles and are updated as each new grid is released. We are in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers that created the game.