The spelling of "gat on the beam" may seem unusual, but it can be explained using IPA phonetic transcription. The word "gat" is pronounced with a voiced velar plosive /g/ followed by a short vowel sound /æ/. "On" is pronounced with a diphthong /ɒn/. "The" is pronounced with a voiced dental fricative /ð/ and a short vowel sound /i/. Finally, "beam" is pronounced with a voiced bilabial nasal /b/ followed by a long vowel sound /i:/ and a voiced bilabial stop /m/. Together, these sounds create the unique spelling of "gat on the beam".