What does “a agăța” mean in Romanian?

Literally, a agăța means “to hang” or “to hook” something on a wall. But in dating talk it flips to “to hit on” or “pick someone up” — you hook a person’s interest the way you’d hook a coat. So a agăța o fată isn’t hanging anything; it’s chatting someone up — “to hit on,” “chat up,” or “pick up” — keeping the same “hook” image of catching someone’s interest.

The verb comes from Vulgar Latin accaptiāre, from Late Latin captiāre, “to catch” — the same root behind “capture,” so the flirting sense of “catching” someone’s attention runs deep. Here a woman pretends to have a boyfriend in the park, then explains it’s what girls do ca să nu fiți agățate — “so you won’t get hit on.” That passive form, a fi agățat/agățată*, is the one you’ll actually hear: to be approached, to get chatted up.