da gata

See also: Dagata

Romanian

Etymology

Literally, “to give ready”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈda ˈɡa.ta/
• Hyphenation: da ga‧ta

Verb

a da gata (third-person singular present dă gata, past participle dat gata) 1st conjugation (transitive, idiomatic)

1. to finish, especially in an impressive manner
2. to hit one hard

   Synonym: termina

   • 1972 March, Octavian Popa, “Convorbire cu Ieronim [A talk with Ieronim]”, in Orizont, 23, number 215, Timișoara, page 44:

     Nu vezi cum am slăbit ? Operația m-a dat gata, abia mă țin pe picioare.

     Can’t you see how thin I’ve become? The operation hit me hard, I can hardly stand up.

3. to kill
   • 1983, “Drumețul [The traveller]”, in Marcel Petrișor, Zaira Calciu-Samharadze, transl., Șatili: proză gruzină contemporană) [Shatili: contemporary Georgian prose], Bucharest: Univers, translation of original by Guram Haraidze, page 68:

     Data al meu, zice ea, nu-i omul pe care să-l dea gata glonțul…

     My Data, she says, is not a man a bullet could kill…

4. (figurative) Synonym of da pe spate (“to blow away, impress”)
   • 1983, Gabriela Adameșteanu, Dimineață pierdută [Wasted morning], Bucharest: Cartea Românească, page 384:

     Da’ știi că m-ai dat gata: n-aș fi zis că ești așa pricepută să faci să meargă o vechitură!

     But you know, you blew me away: I wouldn’t have said you were so skilled at getting an old piece of junk to work!

5. to seduce (pick up)

References

• da gata in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)