Certainly! Let’s break down the word “patronise” in a way that’s easy to understand.
“Patronise” is a verb that can have two main meanings:
Support/Regular Customer:
Condescending Treatment:
In more formal contexts, you might see “patronise” used to describe someone who provides financial support to the arts or charitable causes. For example: - "The gallery was grateful to be patronised by several local philanthropists."
While “patronise” can have these two distinct meanings, it’s important to rely on context to understand which meaning is intended.
For the meaning of being a regular customer:
For the meaning of treating condescendingly:
There are no widely recognized idioms or phrasal verbs that directly include the word "patronise." However, you might hear phrases like "talk down to" which conveys a similar meaning to the condescending sense of “patronise.”
Remember, “patronise” can mean to support a business or to treat someone as less than you.