gats, interjection

/xats/
Forms:
gaats, gatShow more Also gaats, gat, gattela, gits.
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, euphemistic substitute for God /xɔt/ God.
colloquial
An exclamation of dismay, disquiet, or annoyance, comparable to ‘hell’, ‘good God’; gots.
1919 R.Y. Stormberg With Love from Gwenno 57She made quite a brilliant ass of herself at the piano.., bawling away at some ballads which I couldn’t recognise for the badness of their rendition. Martin burst in with ‘Maar gits! you should just hear Miss Davis sing that song! Nobody can sing like wot she ken!’
1970 J. Stodel Informant, Cape Town, Western CapeOoh gats it’s going to rain.
1973 J. Cope in S. Gray Writers’ Territory 115The boy was yelling at him: ‘Gaats! man, look at your line — die donner!’ The cord jerked and whipped, running hot through his nerveless fingers.
1978 Randlords & Rotgut (Junction Ave Theatre Co.) in S. Gray Theatre Two (1981) 84Uh, gat, you’re so bloody ugly I don’t want to touch you.
1982 Sunday Times 21 Mar. 44He was not happy when the British arrived. ‘Can a person be happy in such a time? Gats! We were in jail!’
1992 C.M. Knox tr. of E. Van Heerden’s Mad Dog 68A commotion broke out at the cage...‘He’s caught hold of Jock, oh gattela!’ Tattie looked round guiltily — I’d heard him sneakily egging Jock on to bark at the monkey.
An exclamation of dismay, disquiet, or annoyance, comparable to ‘hell’, ‘good God’; gots.
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19191992

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euphemistic
colloquial
Gatjieponder, nounn.gattes, nounn.
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