thats

See also: that's and þats

English

Noun

thats

1. plural of that
   • 1998, David L. Hall, Roger T. Ames, Thinking from the Han, page 247:

     As such, they do not have the ontological weight of "Being" and "Not-being," but serve simply as an explanatory vocabulary necessary to describe our world of thises and thats.

Pronoun

thats

1. (nonstandard, dialect, e.g. Black Country, Northern Ireland) whose, of which, in dialects that require a human antecedent for "whose"
   • 2007, Paul Mavis, review of the 1983 film "Hundra", DVD Talk, March 25th

     set about to make a spoofy fantasy adventure thats focus would be on a gorgeous, blonde, man-hating super-warrior who was subservient to no one.

   • 2008 September 25, jules, “That's or thats? (grammar help please!)?”, in Yahoo! Answers‎^[1], archived from the original on 2011-07-01; quoted in Mark Liberman, “'That's'”, in Language Log‎^[2], 2014 March 28, archived from the original on 2014-04-08:

     So I'm writing a paper and I'm saying, "Darfur is a region of western Sudan thats government is…" My question is about the "that"– should it be "that's" (even though that means "that is") or "thats" (with no apostrophe)?

   • 2015, James Harbeck, The future of English includes an apostrophe-less 'thats', The Week

     Let me tell you about a word thats time has come.

Usage notes

A case can be made for distinguishing possessive thats, without an apostrophe, from the contraction that's with an apostrophe, parallel to its and it's or whose and its homonym who's.

Alternative forms

• that's

Contraction

thats

1. Obsolete form of that's.
   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W[illiam] Griggs, […], [1880], →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Why thats the way to choake a gibing ſpirrit, / Whoſe influence is begot of that looſe grace, / Which ſhallow laughing hearers giue to fooles, […]

   • c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     No eye hath ſeene ſuch skarcrovves. Ile not march vvith them through Couentry vvith them, thats flat: […]

   • c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Mathewe Lownes, and Thomas Fisher, […], published 1602, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     He is made like a tilting staffe; and lookes / For all the world like an ore-rosted pigge: / A great Tobacco taker too, thats flat.

   • 1599, [Thomas] Nashe, “To His Readers, Hee Cares Not What They Be”, in Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC:

     Euery man can ſay Bee to a Battledore, and write in prayſe of Vertue, and the ſeuen Liberall Sciences, threſh corne out of the full ſheaues, and fetch water out of the Thames; but out of drie ſtubble to make an after harueſt, and a plentifull croppe without ſowing, and wring iuice out of a flint, thats Pierce a Gods name, and the right tricke of a workman.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     When yond fame ſtarre thats weaſtward from the pole […]

   • 1601–1602 (date written), attributed to Thomas Dekker and/or Thomas Middleton, Blurt Master-Constable. Or The Spaniards Night-walke. […], London: […] [Edward Allde] for Henry Rockytt, […], published 1602, →OCLC, signature B2, verso:

     At your pleaſure thats rare; then rovvlie, povvlie, our vviues ſhall lye at your commaund: […]

   • 1663, Edward Waterhous [i.e., Edward Waterhouse], chapter XLVIII, in Fortescutus Illustratus; or A Commentary on that Nervous Treatise De Laudibus Legum Angliæ, Written by Sir John Fortescue Knight, […], London: […] Tho[mas] Roycroft for Thomas Dicas […], →OCLC, page 517:

     [The game of dice and ball] is near of kin, in the nature of the vvord to that game of Cock-all, vvhich boyes uſe amongſt us, vvhich Cock-all, is as much vvin and take all, as a Cock does vvho victorying, has not onely the praiſe of all, but vvins all thats laied on the match by the Abettors againſt him.

Anagrams

• shatt, taths