Meaning
'If yuh cyaan ketch Quaco, yuh ketch him shut' — if you can't catch Quaco, you catch his shirt. If you cannot get at the person themselves, you take your satisfaction on something connected to them, the proverb observes: settling a score or getting recompense indirectly, one way if not another. It describes the roundabout pursuit of revenge or repayment — failing to seize the man, you seize what is his — and it names the human tendency to strike at whatever of an enemy is within reach when the enemy himself escapes.
Examples
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Him run gone, so dem tek weh him bike. If yuh cyaan ketch Quaco, yuh ketch him shut.
He ran off, so they took his bike. If you can't catch the man, take what's his.
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Mi couldn't reach di boss, so mi report di company. If yuh cyaan ketch Quaco, yuh ketch him shut.
I couldn't reach the boss, so I reported the company. If you can't get the person, get what's connected to them.
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Dem tek it out pon him family. If yuh cyaan ketch Quaco, yuh ketch him shut.
They took it out on his family. When you can't reach the person, you reach what's near them.
Origin
'Quaco' is a traditional Akan day-name (for a boy born on Wednesday) common among enslaved Jamaicans, here standing for any elusive person; 'shut' is the Patois pronunciation of 'shirt'.
How it’s used
Describes indirect retaliation or getting satisfaction by proxy. Can be neutral or disapproving depending on tone.