‖gat, noun
/xat/
- Origin:
- Afrikaans, DutchShow more Afrikaans from Dutch, hole (plural gate); (vulgar) vent, anus (plural gatte).
- Note:
- Often used by writers to suggest Afrikaans dialogue.
1. A hole.
a. obsolete. rare. A large pool in a river.
1806 J. Barrow Trav. I. 209Some of the gats, or holes, of the Sea-Cow river were five or six miles in length, and deep enough to float a line-of-battle ship.
1847 J. Barrow Autobiog. Memoir 179We collected..at the Sea-Cow River...It is a chain of deep stagnant pools or gats.
b. Obs. except in place names: a depression in the ground, large enough to be considered a topographic feature.
1838 J.E. Alexander Exped. into Int. I. 45I crossed over, and with a guide, rode on in the dark, to the outspan of the waggon at Kalk gat, or lime hole, and found the people cooking and enjoying themselves.
1988 J. Deacon in S. Afr. Panorama May 44The Hell, as Gamkaskloof is popularly termed — the Boers called it Gatkloof (hole ravine).
2. slang. not in polite use Anus, ‘backside’.
a. Used in the obscene expletive interjections jou gat/jəʊ -/ [Afrikaans, jou your], used to express rage, disgust, or contradiction; se gat/sə -/ [Afrikaans, se possessive pronoun (his, her, their)], an expression of disbelief or contradiction; cf. se voet.
b. combinations
gat-creeper, gat-kruiper/-ˌkrœɪpə(r)/ [Afrikaans, kruiper creeper, from kruip to creep], ‘ass-creeper’, sycophant, toady; cf. schloep noun; so gatkruip verb, to be obsequious, to attempt to ingratiate oneself; cf. schloep verb (see schloep noun); also attributive ;
1985 P. Slabolepszy Sat. Night at Palace 12If there’s one thing I can’t handle it’s a gat-creeper. Bloody schloep. Up a ou’s arse.
1990 R. Malan My Traitor’s Heart 211A few months back, he was on gatkruip patrollie, meaning ‘ass-creep patrol’...Ass-creep patrol is the hearts and minds aspect of riot control in South Africa.
A hole.
A large pool in a river.
a depression in the ground, large enough to be considered a topographic feature.
Anus, ‘backside’.
Used in the obscene expletive interjections jou gat/jəʊ -/ [Afrikaans, jou your], used to express rage, disgust, or contradiction; se gat/sə -/ [Afrikaans, se possessive pronoun (his, her, their)], an expression of disbelief or contradiction; cf. se voet.
, ‘ass-creeper’, sycophant, toady;
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