"Zat" is a word that can be used in several –
very different – meanings. Before you know it, you’re telling your boss
that you are drunk when you really want to say that you’re fed up with
your job 😉 See examples below to clarify things. And don’t get
confused: ‘zat’ is also the singular past tense of ‘zitten’ ("to sit"),
e.g. ‘ik zat, jij zat, hij/zij zat’ ("I sat, you sat, he/she sat"). 

1. drunk [adjective] [‘zat‘] 

"Zat" can be informally used as the word for "drunk" (or "drunken").

Examples:
– "Hij was niet gewoon zat, hij was ladderzat."
("He wasn’t just drunk, he was smashed.")

– "Zij kan niet tegen drank; na vier biertjes is ze al compleet zat."
("She doesn’t take alcohol (lit: booze) very well; she is completely drunk after four beers.")

Expression:
– "Zo zat zijn als een aap/kanon.": lit. to be as drunk as a monkey/cannon, this says you are
very drunk (‘drunk as a lord’).

Example:
– "Marc is zo zat als een aap!"

Related words:
– "Zatlap": a boozer, soak. A "lap" is like a piece of cloth.
– "Ladderzat": smashed, zonked.
– "Aangeschoten": tipsy.
– "Bezopen": drunk (informal).

2. fed up [adjective] [‘zat‘]

Examples:
– "Houd nou eens even je mond, ik ben je gezeur helemaal zat!"
("Please shut up for a moment, I’m totally fed up with your moaning!")

– "Ik stop ermee, ik ben het zat!"
("I quit, I’ve had enough (of it)!" Note it’s all in the word ‘het’
("it"). When you omit ‘het’ in this sentence, its meaning turns into
"I’m drunk".)

– "Fokke en Sukke zijn het zat: ‘Eén dag vrijzijn van meningsuiting, da’s toch
godverdomme niet te veel gevraagd!!!’ "
"Fokke en Sukke have had enough. ‘One day without (lit. ‘being free
of’) expression of opinion, that can’t be asking too bloody much!!!’"
(Fokke and Sukke – the two most famous (and infamous) Dutch ducks that appear in a
cartoon every day on the back page of Dutch national newspaper NRC
Handelsblad – are referring to the current Dutch debate on where
freedom of speech ends and irresponsible insults start.)

3. plenty, to spare [adverb] [‘zat‘]

Examples:
– "Je hoeft je niet te haasten, je hebt nog tijd zat."
("No need to rush, you have plenty of time left.")

– "Waarom zou je gaan werken? Dankzij die erfenis heb je toch geld zat!"
("Why would you work? After all, you have lots of money (to spare) thanks to that inheritance!")

This DWOTD was provided by guest author Laura.