Hy Het Sy Gat Gesien - He Came Short

The Afrikaans word ‘gat’ has more than one meaning. The first refers to a hole in the ground or in any other object while the second meaning is more crude. It refers to a person’s or animal’s backside; more specifically his a**hole.

The expression ‘Hy het sy gat gesien’ can thus be translated to English in more than one way:
A) He saw his hole
B) He saw his grave (as a grave is a hole in the ground)
C) He saw his a**.

The third form is the popular form for at least the last 50 years since somebody added ‘without a mirror’, and mostly used in the future tense. Effectively saying you will see your backside without at mirror; meaning that you will come short or that you will not get it right.grin

But this is completely out of line with the original saying which refers to a hole in the ground; more specifically an open grave.

Towards the end of the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) many Boers surrendered and were called ‘hensoppers’ meaning ‘hands uppers’ or traitors. The ‘hensoppers’ were often executed by the passing Boer commandos.thumbs down

Such a traitor was condemned to death by court-martial. They were forced to dig their own graves and then, while facing the grave, shot from behind to drop into the hole.

If somebody would later ask: “What happened to so and so?” the answer would have been “Hy het sy gat gesien”, meaning that he saw his grave (while being shot as a traitor).hole

So, in the about 30 to 60 years since the war, this expression had evolved into something with a completely different meaning. Languages are truly alive and this is especially true In the case of a young language like Afrikaans which was only recognized as a language about a hundred years ago or so.

But then it is also a very versatile expression with other meanings like for an instance:
Die bottel het sy gat gesien. Meaning
The bottle - Die Bottel - is empty.
or
Die suiker het sy gat gesien.
The sugar - Die Suiker - is finished.

It is estimated that about 25 million people worldwide now can fully understand and speak Afrikaans.
cats meow cats meow
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Comments (40)

Hi Catfoot
I guess that's what's happening to me.. seeing my own hole grave! giggle
Hi Kal
That is bad. Who did you betray?
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Hi Catfoot, nice to see you today, I hope all is well. I thought about a hole like this when I strted to read your story today... there are many of them appearing all over the world now a days and it is scary to see... but thank you for your informative blog, my friend, Happy Monday and enjoy your coming week.
Take it and copy it into your browser and you can hopefully see it?



This is from a Norwegian news site.
That's the problem Catfoot, I dont know what I have done and who to.. mumbling uh oh laugh
Very interesting story Cat. I feel I'd be thinking of this for me soon.

Not quite being a traitor but somehow I'm feeling the close proximity of my own grave.

Take care Nice blog
Hi Welela
How are you my friend.

I will look at tour link a bit later. This time of the day connectivity is murder. I battle to load CS pages. I must really get a new ISP.
Hi Kal
The maybe it is because you did nothing.
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Hi Lindsy
Don't think like that. Tomorrow you will see things different again.
wine wave
Thanks Cat, living life full of lies sometimes can bury us alive. I'll try to be out of it soon.

Thanks
Yes, take a look later, they are scary. All is well here, can't but complain as they say, look at my blog today too. No fun to have problems get to take a look at CS pages, but I hope it work out just fine for you. Take care.teddybear hug teddybear
Yeah, you may be right. I should have done something, like shooting someone from behind and forcing that someone to drop into the grave. grin It's just I could only see a shadow.. Impossible to shoot, isnt it? moping
Anyway, I kept checking "the two." How come nothing happened to those? This is not fair!!! frustrated


rolling on the floor laughing wine
Lindsy
A little stupid advise:
Live each day as if it is your last.
Do what you have to do and enjoy the rest of it as best as you can.
It works for me.
wine wave
Hi Boggie
Yes, You spent some time here in SA. You would have come across the expression. It is used by the English speaking as well.
cheers handshake wave
Wel
I'm busy selling my house and when I get a new address I will have a better signal than here on the far edge of the town. Your blog is next. As soon as I'm done here
wine hug wave
Hi Kal
Ok, I understand your problem with the pair. I will deal with it later tonight.

You will find shooting somebody from behind is not so easy. I prefer to let people fall into their own graves while digging it by leaving plenty of banana peels around. Make it easy for them to slip.
wine hug wave
Thanks my dear Cat, I live with this principle but when pinned so hard against the wall, I forget, but I will, promise.

And its not stupid, it makes good sense for me and thanks again.

feel better already
Lj
Oh Cat...feeling a bit down here, someone wants me to dig my own 'hole' and I'm too tired and not ready for it.doh
Lindsy
Don't allow today to spill over into tomorrow for if you have to spend half of today to fix yesterday, you will not have the time to ensure a carefree tomorrow. Yesterday is not dead and gone. It will always come back to you. And what was left undone will haunt you until it is done.
wine wave
hey, i dont speak English. grin but had a great time in SA. no "gat". but lots of "lost nights"... laugh

cheers
Hi Boggie
While we have a large Portuguese community in SA - mostly from Mozambique and Angola - you would have had a hard time in SA if you could not speak Afrikaans or English. There are very few people in this country who cannot speak either of them.
laugh rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Hy's ook gatvol van all die gat sienery laugh
jasus Cat, sometimes I dont speak ... you know, when we cant!dancing.. but its not bad. laugh

never had hard time in SA... ever!! maybe because the different and positive attitude toward life in general i found in Africa (SA included)... cheers
Hi Unlaoised
And now he saw it without a mirror. That takes some doing. Then they say we should be more flexible. Net om jou gat te sien.
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Hi Boggie
South Africa is known for the hospitality of the people. A great country to visit. It is a pity we have such a bad crime rate but it is getting better slowly.
cheers hug wave
Eina! laugh laugh
Oh Cat...Thanks! I wish I can do that...I'm being crucified in a particular blog right now but I think I can handle it without having to bury someone. Besides, I'm not good at digging.frustrated
Unlaouised
Yes, ouch it is! Then people wonder why I am rigid and inflexible.
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Did someone said; Hole ?Sounds scary hole laugh Nice to learn how language develops so alive in callarful meanings wave teddybear
Hi Enigma,
Yes in deed. But it is the speed that amazed me. I was born fifty years after the end of the war and I first encountered the expression when I was about ten. Even then the expression was used is it is today. When the cause for the expression had died the expression live on in another form. Crazy!
wine hug wave
All this Gat scenery is too much for somelaugh handshake cheers
Thanks Cat! I'll buy a shovel and pitchfork tomorrow and start digging!teddybear
catfoot,

hi baby......kiss wink

sorry love i really don't know Afrikaans.....bouquet lips
Hi CMI
You don't need to baby. What is said here applies to all languages for they are alive.
wine hug wave
You see! Where there is a will there is a way.
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Hi Cat,
Language is very interesting as words have completely different meaning in different cultures. It is interesting to see how words evolved. teddybear hug
brain has no ‘gat’s... yet. cheers
cat
Thanks for the lesson in language...it is interesting how words develop meaning by the history of its people...like in the US to be a Benedict Arnold is a traitor...it stems from their history...I just may use the word gat!! wine
Hi Shay
Yes but it can be a very confusing word. Telling somebody his hole is big can also mean his backside is getting bigger.
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
Boggie
While there may me no 'gat's in the brain many a brain sit in the gat.
rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing rolling on the floor laughing
hi Loulou
Use it if you wish but remember it is a soft g like the Dutch use and the 'a' is not pronounced such as in cat but as in what.
laugh rolling on the floor laughing
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Catfoot

Catfoot

Around here, Western Cape, South Africa

I know I cannot always have what I want, but that does not make me want it less. Otherwise I’m easy to please, flexible, accommodating and forgiving. I cool down as fast what I get cross. I hate it when people lie to me. I’m hooked to my laptop, but [read more]

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