5 November 2012: Etwas ergattern

5 Nov: Etwas ergattern from kate hers on Vimeo.

Word or Expression: Etwas ergattern

Closest English Translation: to get ahold of something, to snatch something, be in the right place at the right time

Literal Translation: to “re”-gate (in the sense that the prefix er can sometimes be translated as either “dead” or the English “re.”

This expression goes back to the time when beggars and tramps used to beg at the gate of a homestead, not allowed to come inside. When a beggar would receive Alms at the gate, he or she would “get something,” or “etwas ergattert.”

Thanks Sojung Kwon and Matt Wray!