Dutch word of the day

Zeg dat wel

you can say that again
[Dutch phrase of the week]

You can use "zeg dat wel" as the confirmation of a preceding statement (by somebody else).

Synonymous to "zeg dat wel" is "inderdaad" (indeed), "nou!" (why yes!), or "zo is het maar net" (and that's the way it is).

Examples:
- "Frank zit altijd uit te dagen..." - "Zeg dat wel..." 
("Frank is always provoking..." - "You can say that again...")

- "Pannenkoeken met spek zijn echt lekker!" - "Zeg dat wel! Heerlijk!" 
("Pancakes with bacon are really good!" - "You can say that again! Delicious!")

- "Die film is echt slaapverwekkend." - "Zeg dat wel! Hij is echt verschrikkelijk!" 
("That movie is really boring" - "You can say that again! It's really terrible!")

Expressions:
- "Nou!": why yes!

Example:
- "Vindt u het vandaag ook zo koud?" - "Nou! ik haat de winter..."
("Do you also think it's it cold today?" - "Why yes! I hate winter...")

- "Zo is het maar net": and that's the way it is.

Example:
- " 'Zo is het naar net' was een van Walter Cronkites beroemde quotes."
(" 'And that's the way it is' was one of Walter Cronkite's famous quotes.")

Related words:
- Precies: precise(ly) [adjective, adverb].
- Zeggen: to say [verb] [zeggen, zei, gezegd].

Je bent aan het verkeerde adres

you have not come to the right person, you cannot count on sympathy
[Dutch phrase of the week]

The literal meaning of "je bent aan het verkeerde adres" is "you are at the wrong address", and its meaning is pretty close to the literal translation: you are not in the right place, or you have not come the right person, i.e.: you cannot count on any sympathy.

Examples:
- "Als je denkt dat ik je problemen ga oplossen, ben je aan het verkeerde adres." 
("If you think that I am going to solve your problems, think again.")

- "De betogers bleken bij de politici aan het verkeerde adres te zijn." 
("The demonstrators could not count on any sympathy from the politicians." Lit.: "The demonstrators turned out to be at the wrong address with those politicians.")

- "Iemand die niet eerlijk is, is aan het verkeerde adres bij mij." 
("Someone who is not honest, cannot count on my sympathy.")

- "Als je je hele vakantie wil liggen bakken op het strand, ben je bij mij aan het verkeerde adres." 
("If you want to spend your entire holiday getting a tan on the beach, I'm not your man." Lit.: "If you want to bake at the beach your entire vacation, then you are at the wrong address with me.")

Related words:
- Adres: address [noun] [het adres, de adressen].
- Verkeerd: wrong [adjective/adverb].

Ten minste

at least
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[ten min-ste]

And the Dutch Word Of The Day is back in 2010!! We hope that everybody has recovered fully from the holidays :-)

"Ten minste" is composed of "ten" and "minste". "Ten" is a somewhat old-fashioned preposition which translates to "at", and "minste", or "minst", translates to "least" of "fewest". Synonymous to "ten minste" are "op zijn minst", "minstens" or "minimaal".

And now the tricky bit: there's also "tenminste", which is one word and which also translates to "at least", or "anyway", "anyhow" or "...that is". It has a different meaning though and is used in a different context, which will hopefully become clear from the examples. Synonymous to "tenminste" is "althans".

Of course, most Dutch don't know when to use "ten minste" or "tenminste" :-)

Examples:
- "Ik ben ten minste twee en een halve kilo aangekomen tijdens de feestdagen..." 
("I've gained at least two and a half kilos during the holidays...")

- "Deze bank is ten minste 150 euro waard." 
("This couch is worth at least 150 euros.")

- "Ik ben misschien niet slim, maar ik weet tenminste hoe ik een dame moet behandelen!" 
("I may not be smart, but at least I know how to treat a lady!")

- "Stan zal zeker een medaille winnen, tenminste, als hij niet wordt uitgesloten van deelname." 
("Stan will win a medal for sure, if he's not excluded from participating, that is.")

Related words:
- Minimaal: minimum, minimal [adjective/adverb].
- Minstens: at least [adverb].

Example:
- "Vanochtend heeft Frank minstens een half uur lang over zijn baas geroddeld."
("Frank has spread gossip about his boss for at least half an hour this morning.")

Doe mij ... / Doet u mij ...

(Can/could you) bring me ... / I'll have ...
[Dutch phrase of the week]

You can use the idiom "doe mij" or "doet u mij", when you order something in the horeca. "Doe mij" is informal, "doet u mij" is more formal. Check out Extra, for more idiom you can use when ordering.

Examples:
- "Doe mij een kopje koffie, alsjeblieft." 
("Can you please bring me a cup of coffee?")

- "Doet u mij maar de biefstuk. Doorbakken, alstublieft." 
("I'll just have the steak. Well done, please.")

- "Doe mij een extra deken, alsjeblieft. Ik heb het koud." 
("Can you bring me an extra blanket, please? I'm on cold.")

- "Ober, doet u mij de garnalencocktail, en als hoofdgerecht de bloemkool met melksaus." 
("Waiter, I'll have the shrimp cocktail, and as a main course I'll have the cauliflower with milk sauce.")

Related words:
- Doen: to do [verb] [doen, deed, h. gedaan].
- Bestellen: to order [verb] [bestellen, bestelde, h. besteld].

Example:
- "Ik wil graag een droge witte wijn bestellen."
("I would like to order a dry white wine.")

Extra:
There are quite a few things you can say if you want to order something. Here's a selection of examples when ordering a glass of red wine:
- "Ik wil graag een glas rode wijn.": I would like a glass of red wine.
- "Mag ik een glas rode wijn van jou/u?": Can/May I have a glass of red wine? (Lit.: May I (have) a glass of red wine from you?)
- "Kun je mij / Kunt u mij een glas rode wijn brengen? ": Can you bring me a glass of red wine?
- "Voor mij een glas rode wijn, alsjeblieft/alstublieft": I'll have a glass of red wine, please.
- "Een glas rode wijn alsjeblieft/alstublieft": A glass of red wine, please.

Extra 2:
Check out this videoclip, a 2006 summer hit called "Toppertje" by "Guillermo & Tropical Danny". This song illustrates the use of "doe mij ...": (first line of the chorus) "Doe mij een toppertje en een breezer ananas".  A "toppertje" is an alcoholic drink, so is a "breezer ananas"...

Werkze!

Have a successful and productive (working) day! 
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[werk-ze]

Literally "werkze" would translate to "work them" or "work it", but there's not really a suitable equivalent in English. We - the Dutch - use it to express a wish to our colleagues to have a successful and productive (working) day. The use of "werkze" is quite informal. Sometimes you may also see "werkse", which is a direct (Dutch) notation of how "werkze" is pronounced.

There are other uses of imperative forms of verbs, combined with "-ze" or "-se". Two examples:
- "Eetze": bon appetit / enjoy your meal.
- "Slaapze": good night.
It seems that mostly intransitive verbs can be combined with "-ze" or "-se", to wish someone a successful execution of an activity. But it wouldn't be Dutch if there were no exceptions to that rule :-)

Examples:
- "Fijne dag!" - "Dankjewel, werkze!" 
("Have a nice day!" - "Thank you, have a good day at the office!")

- "Schat, ik ben weg!" - "Okee lieverd, werkze." 
("Honey, I'm out of here!" - "Okay, sweetie, have fun at work.")

- "Werkze!" - "Vandaag niet, ik heb de griep..." 
("Have a good day at work!" - "Not today, I have the flu...")

Expressions:
- "Een goed begin is het halve werk": well begun is half done.

Related words:
- Werk: work [noun] [het werk, <no plural>].
- Werken: to work [verb] [werken, werkte, h. gewerkt].

Example:
- "Ik heb vandaag geen zin om naar mijn werk te gaan..."
("I don't feel like going to work today...")

Niet goed snik

out of one's mind, crazy
[Dutch phrase of the week]

A "snik" is a sob. "Niet goed snik" is used to refer to a person's deranged state of mind. Synonymous expression is "niet goed wijs" or "niet wijs" (lit.: not wise).

Examples:
- "Je bent niet goed snik: drie wollen dekens op je bed is veel te warm voor nu!" 
("You're out of your mind: three woollen blankets on your bed is much too warm for now!")

- "Sinterklaas die op een schimmel over de Nederlandse daken rijdt, je bent niet goed snik, dat is onmogelijk!" 
("Sinterklaas who rides on a grey over the Dutch rooftops, you're out of your mind, that's impossible!")

- "Je bent niet goed snik als je met dit weer in de auto stapt! De wegen zijn veel te glad door de sneeuw." 
("You're out of your mind if you get in the car with this weather! The roads are way too slippery because of the snow.")

Expressions:
- "Niet goed wijs" / "Niet wijs": out of one's mind.
- "Van de pot gerukt": out of one's mind. Lit.: ripped from the pot.

Related words:
- Gek: 1. crazy [adjective]. 2. lunatic [noun] [de gek, de gekken].
- Dwaas: foolish [adjective]. 2. fool [noun] [de dwaas, de dwazen].
- Gestoord: mentally disturbed, insane.

Te gek

far out, great, fantastic  
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Te gek" literally translates to "too crazy/absurd". In fact, you can use "te gek" literally, e.g. in "te gek om los te lopen", but this Dutch Phrase Of The Week is about the non-literal use: far out, or great.

If something is completely far out or absolutely great, you can say: "helemaal te gek".

Examples:
- "Wat vond je van Sanders optreden?" - "Te gek!" 
("What did you think of Sander's performance?" - "Great!")

- "Wendy heeft een navelpiercing..." - "Te gek, makker!" 
("Wendy has a piercing in her belly button... " - "Far out, dude!")

- "Mijn relatie loopt op rolletjes! Geen gedoe deze keer..." - "Dat is helemaal te gek!" 
("My relationship goes smoothly! No fuss this time... "That's absolutely fantastic!")

Related words:
- Gek: crazy [adjective].
- Geweldig: great, fantastic [adjective].

Example:
- "Frank heeft Marianne gevraagd met hem te trouwen." -"Helemaal te gek! Geweldig! Fantastisch! Supergaaf!"
("Frank has asked Marianne to marry him." - "Completely far out! Great! Fantastic! Supercool!")

- Gaaf: awesome, great [adjective].

Stront aan de knikker

trouble, the shit that hits the fan
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[stront aan de knik-ker]

"Stront aan de knikker" literally translates to "shit on the marble" :-) It is common idiom for referring to a state of trouble. I believe that the synonymous English expression is "shit that hits the fan", native English speakers are kindly invited to confirm or refute this.

Examples:
- "Wat is er aan de hand?" - "Stront aan de knikker..." 
("What's going on?" - "Trouble...")

- "Toen de ME hard optrad tegen de protestanten, wist ik dat er stront aan de knikker was." 
("When the riot police acted forcefully against the protesters, I knew the shit was going to hit the fan.")

- "Waarom fronst Frank zijn wenkbrauwen?" - "Waarschijnlijk is er ergens stront aan de knikker..." 
("Why is Frank frowning?" - "There's probably trouble somewhere...")

Expressions:
- "Wat is er aan de hand?": what's going on?
- "Foute boel": trouble, wrong, bad.

Example:
- "Dit is foute boel...ik ben pleite..."
("This is trouble...I'm out of here...")

Related words:
- Stront: shit, crap, poop [noun] [de stront, <no plural>].
- Knikker: marble [noun] [de knikker, de knikkers].

Example:
- "Kijk mam! Ik heb vandaag hartstikke veel knikkers gewonnen!"
("Look mum! I really won a lot of marbles today!")

- Knikkeren: to play marbles [verb] [knikkeren, knikkerde, h. geknikkerd].
- Probleem: problem [noun] [het probleem, de problemen].

Wat is er aan de hand?

What's going on?
[Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase is mainly used when something is wrong or out of the ordinary. If you just want to ask somebody what's going on as in "what's up?" or "how's it going?" you'd say: "hoe gaat het?"

Note that you can also state that there is something out of the ordinary: "er is iets aan de hand".

"Aan de hand" literally translates to "on the hand". Don't confuse "aan de hand" with "bij de hand" (at hand), or "bijdehand" (:quick-witted).

Examples:
- "Wat is er aan de hand op de pier? Ik zie heel veel vlaggen." 
("What's going on at at the pier? I see a lot of flags.")

- "Kom niet dichterbij, of ik spring!!" - "Rustig, rustig, wat is er allemaal aan de hand?" 
("Don't come any closer, or I'll jump!!" - "Easy, easy, what's going on?" Note that "allemaal" (:all) is used to indicate that all kind of things are possibly going on.)

- "Er is veel aan de hand in de financiële sector." - "Inderdaad, het beleid van de meeste banken is geen zuivere koffie..." 
("There's a lot going on in the financial sector." - "Indeed, the policy of most banks can't be trusted...")

Related words:
- Hand: [noun] [de hand, de handen].
- Gedoe: fuss, hassle [noun] [het gedoe, <no plural>].

Example:
- "Wat is er aan de hand?" - "Veel gedoe om niks, kan ik je zeggen."
("What's going on?" - "A lot of fuss about nothing, I can tell you.")

- Aan: on [preposition].
- Ellende: misery, distress [noun] [de ellende, <no plural>].

Als je het over de duivel hebt

Talk/speak of the devil
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Today is DWOTD number 666...an expression with the devil in it seemed appropriate :-)

"Duivel" (sometimes "duvel") translates to devil. The expression is actually a shorter version of "Als je over de duivel spreekt, trap je op zijn staart", which literally translates to "If you speak of the devil, you'll step on his tail". The expression is used when you're talking about somebody, and he/she enters the room or appears at the scene that very moment.

The idiom "het hebben over" is synonymous to "to speak/talk about".

Examples:
- "Wat een verschrikkelijke presentatie van Frank vanochtend." - "Als je het over de duivel hebt...daar is hij..."
("What a terrible presentation by Frank this morning." - "Speak of the devil...there he is...")

- "Heb je dat aarsgewei bij Rita gezien? Ongelofelijk!" - "Als je het over de duivel hebt, stil...daar loopt ze...")
("Have you seen that ass cap on Rita? Unbelievable!" - Talk of the devil, quiet...she's walking over there...)

- "Laten we fluisteren, want als je het over de duvel hebt, trap je op zijn staart..." 
("Let's whisper, because speak of the devil, and he is sure to appear...")

Expressions:
- "Loop naar de hel/duivel/bliksem!": Go to hell!
- "Des duivels": furious.

Example:
- "Noem jij mij een prutser? Moet jij nodig zeggen! Ik ben des duivels!!"
("Are you calling me a screw up? Look who's talking! I'm furious!" Note that "des duivels" is an old genitive form, which is no longer used, except in some expressions or idiom.)

Related words:
- Hel: hell [noun] [de hel, <no plural>].
- Hemel: heaven(s), sky [noun] [de hemel, de hemelen].

Example:
- "Goede mensen gaan naar de hemel, slechte mensen gaan naar de hel."
("Good people go to heaven, bad people go to hell.")

- Engel: angel [noun] [de engel, de engelen].
- Duivels: diabolical, devilish [adjective].

Extra:
Did you know that...
>> ...the national soccer team of Belgium is also know as "De Rode Duivels": the red devils?
>> ... one of Belgium's finest special beers is called "Duvel"?

Maak dat de kat wijs!

I don't believe a thing of it!
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Let's stay in the category Animals a little bit longer with the phrase of this week. "Maak dat de kat wijs!" literally means "make the cat believe it", and really means: "I don't believe a thing of it!" The verb is "iemand iets wijsmaken" ("make somebody believe something"). It's not the only expression in which cats play a role, see "De kat uit de boom kijken" and "Als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen op tafel".

Examples:
- "Ben jij op de maan geweest, in je dromen zeker! Maak dat de kat wijs!" 
("Have you been to the moon, sure, in your dreams! I don't believe a thing of it!")

- "Mijn buurman had dit jaar bijna de Nobelprijs voor de Vrede gewonnen." - "Geloof je het zelf? Maak dat de kat wijs!" 
("My neighbour almost won the Nobel Peace Price this year." -"You must be kidding! I don't believe a thing of it!" Lit.: "Do you believe it yourself? ...")

- "Heb je maar twee uur slaap per nacht nodig? Maak dat de kat wijs!" 
("You only need two hours of sleep per night? I don't believe a thing of it!")

Related words:
- Wijs: wise [adjective/adverb].
- Wijsmaken: to make believe [verb] [maakte wijs, heb wijsgemaakt].
- Kat: cat [noun] [de kat, de katten].
- Katten: to snarl [verb] [katte, heb gekat].
- Kater: 1. tom cat 2. hangover [noun] [de kater, de katers].

Op rolletjes

like clockwork
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[op rol-le-tjes]

To express a general state of prosperity, the Dutch use the expression "op rolletjes". You can use it when things are going smoothly: like clockwork.

"Rolletje" is the diminutive of "rol": roll. "Op" is a very common preposition, usually translated with "on". "Op rolletjes" therefore literally translates to something like "on little rolls" or "on little wheels" (like under a desk/chair/table/rollerskates etc.)

Examples:
- "Geen files onderweg, het ging op rolletjes!" 
("No traffic jams on the way, it went like clockwork!")

- "Ik heb nog stapels met werk..." - "Wat klets je nou? Alles gaat op rolletjes!"
("I still have loads of work..." - "You're talking nonsense, everything goes like clockwork!" )

- "Hoe gaat het met solliciteren?" - "Nou, nog niet echt op rolletjes..."
("How's the job hunting going?" - "Well, not very well yet...")

Expressions:
- "Voor de wind gaan": to do well, to prosper.

Example:
- "Het gaat Frank voor de wind, zelfs in deze crisistijden."
("Frank is doing well, even in these times of crisis.")

Related words:
- Rol: role [noun] [de rol, de rollen].

Example:
- "Er zijn geen toiletrollen meer..." - "Dat zit er dik in, net nu ik serieus aan de diarree ben..."
("We've run out of (roles of) toilet paper..." - "Of course, just when I'm having a serious case of diarrhea...")

- Voorspoedig: prosperous [adjective].

Op de hoogte

informed
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally, "hoogte" translates to "height" or "altitude". In general, "op de hoogte" translates to "informed". It has a somewhat informal connotation, and can be used in combination with quite some verbs. Depending on context, the translations may vary. We'll deal with most of them in the Examples.

"Op de hoogte" is also often used in combination with the preposition "van" - "op de hoogte van", which translates to "informed of".

Don't confuse "op de hoogte" with "uit de hoogte", see Expressions.

Examples:
- "Het spijt me, ik ben niet op de hoogte van deze deal." 
("I'm sorry, I wasn't informed of this deal.")

- "Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat Frank niet op de hoogte is van deze procedure." 
("It can't possibly the case that Frank is not aware of this procedure.")

- "Kunt u mij op de hoogte stellen van de stand van zaken in het project?" 
("Can you inform me of the project status?")

- "Ik verwacht dat je me op de hoogte houdt van de meest recente ontwikkelingen." 
("I expect you to keep me posted on the most recent developments.")

- "Wat?? Yvonne en Claude hebben hun scheiding aangevraagd?? Daarvan was ik niet op de hoogte!" 
("What?? Yvonne and Claude have filed for divorce?? I wasn't aware of that!")

Expressions:
- "Uit de hoogte": arrogant, haughtily, with an air.
- "Ergens geen hoogte van (kunnen) krijgen": to not be able to understand/grasp.

Example:
- "Frank deed erg vaag vandaag, ik kon geen hoogte van hem krijgen."
("Frank was acting very vague today, I couldn't make him out.")

Related words:
- Hoogte: height, altitude [noun] [de hoogte, de hoogtes].
- Bijpraten: to catch up [verb] [bijpraten, praatte bij, h. bijgepraat].

Example:
- "Lang niet gezien! Heb je even tijd om bij te praten?"
("Long time no see! Do you have a moment to catch up?")

- Informeren: to inform [verb] [informeren, informeerde, geïnformeerd].

Dat is geen zuivere koffie

that's not to be trusted, that's suspicious
[Dutch phrase of the week]

You probably all know the Dutch way to order a café latte ("koffie verkeerd"; lit.: "wrong coffee") and that's not the only Dutch expression in which coffee plays a big role. "Dat is geen zuivere koffie" literally means: "that's no pure coffee". Its meaning points to a fishy situation or business. "Zuiver" can be translated as "clean" and "pure", used in both literal and figurative meanings. The related weak regular verb "zuiveren" can be used in its literal sense ("to purify") and in a figurative sense, e.g. "to exonerate oneself" ("zich van alle blaam zuiveren").

Examples:
- "Mijn werkloze buurman heeft gisteren een Maserati gekocht.. Dat is geen zuivere koffie." 
("My unemployed neighbour has bought a Maserati yesterday.. That's suspicious.")

- "Op marktplaats.nl worden precies dezelfde jassen te koop aangeboden die vorige maand in de PC Hooftstraat zijn gestolen.. Dat is geen zuivere koffie." 
("On marktplaats.nl are exactly the same jackets for sale that were stolen last month in the PC Hooftstraat.. That's suspicious.")

- "Elke maand zit er weer een andere winkel in dat pand; dat is geen zuivere koffie." 
("Every month another store is located in that building; there's something fishy about it.")

Expressions:
- "Op de koffie komen": 1. to drop by for coffee (lit.); 2. to be faced with the consequences of one's actions (fig.).

Example:
- "Het lijkt alsof ze zomaar wegkomt met al haar leugens, maar ze komt nog wel op de koffie."
("It seems like she gets away with all her lies, but she'll be faced with the consequences.")

- "Dat is andere koffie": that's something else (Lit.: "that's other coffee").

Example:
- "De eerste voorstelling viel een beetje tegen maar dit is andere koffie!"
("The first performance was a bit disappointing, but this is something else!")

- "Koffie verkeerd": café latte, coffee with a lot of milk (lit.: "wrong coffee").

Related words:
- Zuiver: 1. clean; 2. pure [adjective/adverb].
- Zuiveren: to purify [verb] [zuiverde, heeft gezuiverd].
- Thee: tea [noun] [de thee, de theeën].

Jammer maar helaas!

(That's just) too bad...
[Dutch phrase of the week]

When you combine "jammer" ("pity", "too bad") and "helaas" ("alas", "regrettably") in this phrase, you do not only show disappointment, but you also indicate that you accept that it is just the way it is...

Examples:
- "Het Nederlands vrouwenelftal heeft gisteren de halve finale verloren van Engeland. Ze zijn ver gekomen, maar het mocht niet zo zijn... Jammer maar helaas!" 
("The Dutch women soccer team lost the semi finals against England yesterday. They got really far (into the tournament), but it was not meant to be... Too bad, but that's just the way it is!")

- "Uiteindelijk heeft Frank de deal niet kunnen sluiten. Het zag er goed uit, maar ketste op het laatste moment af... Jammer maar helaas!" 
("Eventually Frank was not able to close the deal. It looked good, but at the last moment it fell apart. That's just too bad!" Literally: "at the last moment it bounced off.")

- "Ik had op Funda een leuk huis gezien maar toen ik de makelaar belde, bleek het al verkocht te zijn. Jammer maar helaas!" 
("I spotted a nice house at Funda, but when I called the real estate agent, (it appeared that) the house was already sold... What a pity (but these things happen)!")

Expressions:
- "Helaas pindakaas!": too bad! (Informal. Literally it says: "alas, peanut butter!". We have no clue who started it :-) )

Related words:
- Jammer: too bad, (a) pity, shame [interjection, adjective].
- Helaas: alas, sadly, regrettably [interjecion, adverb].
- Teleurstelling: disappointment [noun] [de teleurstelling, de teleurstellingen].

Een goed begin is het halve werk

well begun is half done
[Dutch phrase of the week]

We're back! And we'll start off with a somewhat old-fashioned expression. But as they say: well begun is half done :-)

Examples:
- "Ik heb de stofzuiger al klaar gezet." - "Uitstekend! Een goed begin is het halve werk!"
("I've already taken out the vacuum cleaner." - "Excellent! Well begun is half done!")

- "Marc, wees eens niet zo lui, een goed begin is het halve werk!" 
("Marc, don't be lazy like that, well begun is half done!")

- "Even goed luisteren lui, een goed begin is het halve werk!" 
("Just listen up people, well begin is half done!")

Expressions:
- "Goed bezig!": nice job!.

Related words:
- Goed: good [adjective].
- Begin: beginning, start [noun] [het begin, <no plural>].

Example:
- "Dit is het begin van het einde..."
("The end is near..." Lit.: "This is the beginning of the end...")

- Half: half [adjective].
- Werk: work [noun] [het werk, de werken].

Te gek om los te lopen

too ridiculous/absurd for words 
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Because it's the DWOTD Summer Schedule, here's a Dutch Phrase of the Week on Friday :-)

"Te gek om los te lopen" literally translates to "too crazy to walk loose". You may also see the more literal equivalent "te gek voor woorden" or "te zot voor woorden".

Examples:
- "Gisteren is een vrouw op klaarlichte dag neergestoken. Dat is toch te gek om los te lopen??" 
("Yesterday, a woman was stabbed in broad daylight. That's too absurd for words, isn't it??" Note that "toch" is translated with "..., isn't it??")

- "Frank heeft afgelopen maand met vier vrouwen tegelijkertijd gedate."  - "Dat is te gek om los te lopen!"
("Frank has dated four women at the same time last month." - "That's too ridiculous for words!")

Expressions:
- "Te gek/zot voor woorden": too absurd for words.

Related words:
- Gek/Zot: crazy [adjective].
- Lopen: to walk [verb] [liep, gelopen].
- Los: loose [adjective].
- Ontoerekeningsvatbaarheid: insanity defence [noun] [de ontoerekeningsvatbaarheid, <no plural>]. See Extra

Extra:
"Ontoerekeningsvatbaarheid" (tongue breaker alert :-) ) is a Dutch juridical term, which more or less translates to "insanity defence" in English. It means that when a person commits a crime which can be related to a mental disorder or illness, this person receives a declaration of insanity, which may lead to a less severe sentence, or no sentence at all. A person is then "ter beschikking gesteld aan de regering" (lit.: placed at the disposal of the government). This procedure is called "T.B.S." Someone who is subjected to T.B.S. is called a "T.B.S.-er". T.B.S.-ers are treated under coercion in a "T.B.S. kliniek" (a penitentiary clinic).

In 2008, the Dutch movie "TBS" was released, in which a T.B.S.-er, convicted for killing his own father and sister, escapes from a T.B.S. clinic and tracks down his mother in order to prove his innocence.

Niet te filmen!

indescribable, unbelievable! 
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Filmen" is the verb derived from the noun "film" and obviously means "to record on film". Unless it is really a film that you are shooting, you will more commonly use "een video opnemen" or "opnemen" ("to record" in general). Apparently this expression is used to say that something is that incredible, it can't be recorded on film (whatever that means :-) ). You can use the expression both for positive and negative astonishment. Or just say: "ongelofelijk!" :-)

Examples:
- "Moet je die man zien fietsen met die gekke hoed. Niet te filmen..." 
("Look at that man biking over there with that strange hat! Incredible...")

- "Hoe was het congres afgelopen zaterdag?"- "Het was niet te filmen zo slecht... echt, niets was geregeld!" 
("How was the convention last Saturday?" - "It was so bad... it's indescribable... honestly, nothing had been arranged!")

- "Ik ben dit weekend in Artis geweest."- "Was het leuk?" - "Zeker, vooral die slingerapen, niet te filmen joh hoe die hun staart gebruiken als extra arm!" 
("I went to the Artis Zoo this weekend." - "Did you have a good time?" -  "Absolutely, especially those spider monkeys, it is unbelievable how they use their tail as an additional arm!" The use of the word "joh" is a bit like "ey".)

In de steek laten

to fail someone, to let someone down, to leave (someone behind), to desert someone, to abandon
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Steek" literally translates to "sting" or "stab". "In de steek laten" however describes a situation when someone or something fails to help you in a critical situation, often fleeing the scene.

Examples:
- "Mijn auto laat me om de haverklap in de steek." 
("My car lets me down continually.")

- "Heeft Jan Yolanthe in de steek gelaten, of andersom?"  - "Lekker belangrijk..."
("Did Jan leave Yolanthe behind, or was it the other way around?" - "As if I care...")

- "Het voelt alsof ik door Frank in de steek ben gelaten." 
("It feels as if I've been let down by Frank.")

Expressions:
- "Met de noorderzon vertrekken": to leave without notice to an unknown destination.

Related words:
- Vlucht: flight, escape [noun] [de vlucht, de vluchten].
- Vluchten: to flee/to escape/to fly/to run (away) [verb] [vluchten, vluchtte, gevlucht].
- Ontvluchten: to flee/to escape (from) [verb] [ontvluchten, ontvluchtte, ontvlucht].
- Dumpen: to dump [verb] [dumpen, dumpte, gedumpt].
- Pech: breakdown, trouble [noun] [de pech, <no plural>].

Example:
- "Marc heeft pech met zijn auto: de lamp rechtsvoor doet het niet meer."
("Marc has trouble with his car: the headlight on the right has broken down.")

Dat zit er dik in!

I wouldn't be surprised, that is more than likely, there's every chance of that 
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Dik" usually means "thick" or "fat", but it can also mean "ample" or "good", as in "we zitten hier al een dik uur te wachten" ("we have been waiting here for a good hour"). One uses "dat/het zit er dik in" when something is an obvious consequence, or was expected to happen.

There are many expressions with "dik", see below for another two.

Examples:
- "De trein had vertraging en nu heeft Frank dus ook het vliegtuig gemist!" - "Ja, dat zat er dik in; hij had beter een trein eerder kunnen nemen!" 
("The train was delayed and hence Frank also missed his flight!" - "Yup, I expected that to happen, he should have taken an earlier train!")

- "Het is uit tussen Michiel en Patricia..." - "Dat zat er dik in, ze hadden al maanden ruzie." 
("It is over between Michiel and Patricia..." - "That does not surprise me at all, they have been fighting for months.")

- "Het zit er dik in dat het straks gaat regenen; er is regen voorspeld en ik zie alleen maar donkere wolken." 
("It is very likely to start raining soon; they predicted rain and I only see dark clouds.")

- "Het zit er dik in dat de prijzen weer gaan stijgen nu dat het aantal klanten afneemt." 
("Most probably the prices will rise again now that the number of customers is decreasing.")

- "Ze zijn laat met de DWOTD vandaag!" - "Dat zat er dik in, vorige week hebben ze ook al niets gedaan!" 
("They are late with the DWOTD today!"- "I'm not surprised as they didn't do anything at all last week!")

Expressions:
- "Het ligt er dik bovenop": it is quite obvious.
- "Dat komt dik voor elkaar": that will work out fine.

Met de noorderzon vertrekken

leave without notice to an unknown destination
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Met de noorderzon vertrekken" can be literally translated as "to leave with the northern sun". It stems from 17th century Dutch. Then, the "noorderzon" was synonymous to "during the night" - the sun shines in the northern/Scandinavian countries at night. The "zuiderzon" ("southernsun") was synonymous to "during mid-day". "Met de noorderzon vertrekken" originally meant to leave without notice leaving many debts. Nowadays, it is used when someone leaves without telling anyone that he intends to leave nor where he's going.

Examples:
- "Hij is met de noorderzon vertrokken en hij heeft nooit meer iets van zich laten horen." 
("He left without notice to an unknown destination and has never been in touch since.")

- "Na dat schandaal is zij met de noorderzon vertrokken, later bleek dat ze naar Canada was geëmigreerd." 
("After the scandal she left to an unknown destination, later it turned out she had emigrated to Canada.")

- "Als je zomaar met de noorderzon vertrekt, loop je weg voor je verantwoordelijkheden." 
("If you just leave like that, you walk away from your responsibilities.")

Expressions:
- "De benen nemen": to run away (both in literal and figurative sense) [lit.: "to take the legs"].
- "De plaat poetsen": to desert (original meaning), to run away, to leave [lit.: "to clean the butt plate(part of a gun)"].

Example:
- "Toen hij de politiesirene hoorde, poetste de dief de plaat."
("When he heard the police siren, the thief ran away.")

Related words:
- Zon: sun [noun] [de zon, de zonnen].
- Noord: north [adjective].

Een heet hangijzer

a hot potato, a loaded subject, a controversial theme
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Hangijzer" literally translates to a pot-hanger: a metal hook for hanging pots over a fire. You can easily burn your fingers on it...

As an expression, "een heet hangijzer" is used for a difficult (current) subject, on which a lot of discussion takes place: a delicate matter. It is often used in politics.

Examples:
- "De Joint Strike Fighter is nog steeds een heet hangijzer in de Nederlandse politiek." 
("The Joint Strike Fighter is still a loaded subject in Dutch politics.")

- "De hypotheekrenteaftrek: nog zo'n heet hangijzer..." 
("Home mortgage interest deduction: yet another hot potato...")

- "De kerst doorbrengen bij de eigen ouders of bij de schoonouders: een heet hangijzer in menige relatie." 
("To spend Christmas at your own parents or at your in-laws: a hot potato in many a relationship.")

Related words:
- Heet: hot [adjective].
- Hangen: to hang [verb] [hangen, hing, gehangen].
- IJzer: iron [noun] [het ijzer, de ijzers].
- IJzeren: iron [adjective].
- Beladed: loaded, burdened [adjective].
- Omstreden: disputed, controversial [adjective]

Example:
- "Het gebruik van gentechnologie in de landbouw is omstreden."
("The use of gen-technology in agriculture is controversial.")

- Gevoelig: touchy, sensitive [adjective].
- Taboe: taboo [noun] [het taboe, de taboes].

Een domper op de feestvreugde

A damper on the party... / a shadow over the party...
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Every year on Queen's day the Dutch Royal family visits a town or village somewhere in the country. Locals put on a show and the Royal family waves, smiles, participates in games and shakes hands. This year the festivities in the town of Apeldoorn were heavily disrupted by a man trying to drive his car into the bus transporting the royals. He missed the bus but killed 6 spectators and did not survive himself in the end.

Throughout the country festivities were canceled or sobered down. At first one spoke of "een domper op de feestvreugde": a typical Dutch phrase often used when something ruins the party (or otherwise good atmosphere) one way or the other. When the severity of the accident became clear though, one spoke of "tragedie", "drama" and "Koninginnedag zal nooit meer hetzelfde zijn".

Examples:
- "De aanslaag op de Koninklijke familie in Apeldoorn was een domper op de feestvreugde. "
("The assault on the Royal family in Apeldoorn cast a shadow over the party. ")

- " 'Een domper op de feestvreugde' vind ik een eufemisme; Koninginnedag zal nooit meer hetzelfde zijn!"
("I believe that 'a damper on the party' is a euphemism; Queen's day will never be the same!")

- " 'Mijn ouders kunnen niet bij de première aanwezig zijn en dat is voor mij een domper op de feestvreugde', zei de veelbelovende toneelspeler."
(" 'My parents are unable to attend the opening performance and that kind of ruins it for me', the promising actor said." Note that a "toneelspeler" is an actor in a play, whereas an "acteur" is an actor in general.)

Related words:
- Feestvreugde: fun, festivity [noun] [de feestvreugde, <no plural>]
- Vreugde: joy, happiness [noun] [de vreugde, de vreugden]
- Verdriet: grief, sorrow [noun] [het verdriet, <no plural>]

Joost mag het weten

Heaven only knows, I'm blowed if I know
[Dutch phrase of the week]

This expression translates to something like "Joost may/could/might know it" but is used to say that nobody really has a clue (apart from maybe Joost - a common first name in the Netherlands). Note that the construction "mag het weten" is only used in this phrase. Normally you would say "Frank zou het kunnen weten" ("Frank might know it").

Many people wonder who Joost is. Read the Extra for an explanation.

Examples:
- "Waarom is Frank niet op het werk?" - "Joost mag het weten, hij is al de hele week te laat."
("Why is Frank not at work?" - "I'm blowed if I know, he has shown up late all week.")    

- "Joost mag weten waar ik de auto geparkeerd heb."
("Heaven only knows where I parked the car.")    

- "Waar is dat rapport over de kredietcrisis?" - "Joost mag het weten, ik heb het al een week geleden ingeleverd."
("Where is that report on the financial crisis?" - "I have no clue, I already handed it in a week ago!")    

Extra:
Apparently Joost is derived from 'joos', a word picked up by the Dutch in colonial times on the Indonesian island of Java. 'Joos' was a name for a Chinese god (or its depiction), and was in its turn derived from 'dejos' (from Portuguese 'deus'; god). Later 'joos' was connected to the existing given name of 'Joost' and was in fact associated with the devil. An explanation for the latter could be that the god of one religion is often the devil of another religion (source: "Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal" (WNT, part VIII, 1926)).

Baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet

It doesn't hurt to try
[Dutch phrase of the week]

You can use this expression when you are not sure that your actions will have a positive outcome, but won't lead to any harm either.

The verb "baten" is typically used in fixed expressions, such as "het mocht niet baten" or "het heeft niet mogen baten". See the Related words.

Examples:
- "Denk je dat dit schoonmaakmiddel zal werken?" - "Ach, baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet!"
("Do you think this cleaning product will do the job?" - "Oh well, it doesn't hurt to try!")    

- "Ik ga alsnog een klacht indienen; baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet!"
("I am still going to file a complaint; it doesn't hurt to try!")    

- "Zullen we nog een voorbeeldzin toevoegen of zal het nu wel duidelijk zijn?" - "Waarom niet? Baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet!"
("Shall we add another example sentence or will it be clear by now?" - "Why not? It won't hurt!")    

Related words:
- Baten: to avail [verb] [baatte, gebaat]. This verb is typically used as in the example below:

Example:
- "Ik heb het nog een keer geprobeerd, maar het mocht niet baten / heeft niet mogen baten."
("I tried it once more, but it was of no avail.")

- Baat: benefit, profit, use [noun] [de baat, baten]. The noun "baat" is not used often. You might hear it in an economical context, e.g. "kosten-batenanalyse" ("cost-benefit analysis") or the expression in the example below:

Example:
- "De kost gaat voor de baat uit."
("Expense precedes profit." This is an old saying. You can read it in its original form on a building in Amsterdam (across the water, when you stand on the corner of Oudebrugstraat and Damrak (on your left when you walk on the Damrak in Amsterdam from Central Station to Dam Square)).)

- Schaden: vertaling [verb] [schaadde, geschaad].

Example:
- "De slechte kwaliteit van het rapport heeft de reputatie van de auteur geschaad."
("The poor quality of the report damaged the author's reputation.")

- Schade: damage [noun] [de schade, schades].

Je gooit er met de pet naar

you don't make an effort, you don't really try
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Ergens met de pet naar gooien" is "to make a half-hearted attempt" to finish a job or task because you don’t feel like doing it. When someone’s not committed to something, and therefore only finishes half of the job or does a very poor job, you can say: "Hij/zij gooit er met de pet naar", which literally translated to : "He/she is throwing the hat at it". Phrases with a similar meaning as "ergens met de pet naar gooien" are "niet je best doen" ("not try your best") or "ergens lak aan hebben" ("not care about something").

Examples:
- "Ze heeft haar studie nooit afgemaakt; vanaf het begin gooide ze er met de pet naar." 
("She never finished her studies; from the start she was not really committed to it.")

- "Ik denk dat zijn contract niet wordt verlengd want hij gooit er met de pet naar." 
("I don’t think that his contract will be renewed because he’s not really committed [to the job].")

- "Zodra de voetballers wisten dat ze de wedstrijd niet meer konden winnen, gooiden ze er met de pet naar." 
("As soon as the soccer players knew that they couldn’t win the match anymore, they didn’t make an effort.")

- "Elk klusje dat je aan haar geeft moet je zelf overdoen - ze gooit er echt met de pet naar." 
("Every task that you give to her you’ll have redo yourself - she really does a poor job.")

Expressions:
- "Ergens lak aan hebben": to not care about something.
- "Je best doen": to do one's best.

Related words:
- Pet: hat [noun] [de pet, de petten].

Ben je betoeterd?!

Have you gone out of your mind?!
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Ben je betoeterd" is used informally and is a bit of a 'friendly' "have you gone out of your mind?!". As such it is often used to address children, as opposed to the stronger "ben je gestoord?!" or "ben je besodemieterd?!". It can also be used in the meaning of "don't be daft/ridiculous".

A common variation is "ben je nu helemaal betoeterd" ("have you gone completely out of your mind").

Note that "toeteren" is the Dutch verb for "to honk/blast/toot".

Examples:
- "Mevrouw, bent u nu helemaal betoeterd, wij staan hier allemaal te wachten en ik ben aan de beurt!" 
("Madam, have you gone out of your mind, we are all waiting (in line) and it is my turn!")

- "Zal ik je thuis afzetten?"- "Ah joh, ben je betoeterd, ik loop wel." 
("Shall I drop you off at your house?" - "Oh don't be ridiculous, I'll walk.")

- "Ben je nu helemaal betoeterd?! Wat heeft mamma nou gezegd, hier met dat koekje!" 
("Are you out of your mind?! What did mummy tell you, now give me that cookie/biscuit!")

Expressions:
- "Ben je (nu helemaal) van de pot gerukt?!": a popular more vulgar alternative to "ben je betoeterd". Literally it says "have you been pulled off the pot(ty)?!" .
- "Ben je gek/gestoord?!": are you crazy/insane?!.

Related words:
- Toeter: horn, blower [noun] [de toeter, de toeters].
- Toeteren: to blast, to honk [verb] [toeterde, getoeterd].

Om de haverklap

(at) every moment, continuously, at the merest trifle
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Haver" translates to "oat(s)". "Klap" literally translates to "blow". A "haverklap" was probably something like a handful of straw, which was considered a small, trivial thing. "Om de haverklap" hence meant something like "at the point of a trivial thing": every moment, at the merest trifle.

Examples:
- "Frank heeft om de haverklap een afspraakje via een datingsite." 
("Frank continuously has a date via a dating site.")

- "De aandeelhoudersvergadering van Fortis liep om de haverklap uit de hand." 
("The Fortis shareholder's meeting was getting out of hand at the merest trifle.")

- "De beurs stort om de haverklap in elkaar." 
("The stock exchange crashes constantly at the merest trifle.")

- "Philip kletst om de haverklap uit zijn nek." 
("Philip is talking nonsense all the time.")

Related words:
- Vaak: often [adverb].
- Dikwijls: often, frequently [adverb].

Het loopt de spuigaten uit

It's going too far, it's getting out of hand
[Dutch phrase of the week]

This expression is applicable to a situation where a certain negative development is going on for some time, and is getting out of hand at some point.

A "spuigat" is a so-called scupper: an opening in the hull of a ship, at deck level, for purposes of draining water. "Het loopt de spuigaten uit" literally means: It (i.e. water) runs out of the scuppers. So when water is draining from the scuppers, this means that the deck is covered in a layer of water, which is an undesirable situation...

If you want to specify the thing or situation that is getting out of hand, you say: "Het loopt de spuigaten uit met [thing/situation]", see the Examples. A related word is "spui" which you might recognize if you live in The Hague or Amsterdam, see below.

Examples:
- "Het loopt de spuigaten uit met de criminaliteit in de grote steden." 
("Crime is getting out of hand in the big cities.")

- "Ga je vanavond weer naar een feest? Dat is belachelijk! Het loopt de spuigaten uit!" 
("Are you going to a party again tonight? That's ridiculous! It's getting out of hand!.")

- "Ik kan niet meer tegen het gedoe...het loopt de spuigaten uit!" 
("I can't stand the fuss anymore...it's going too far!")

Expressions:
- "Dit gaat te ver": this is going too far.
- "Dit loopt uit de hand": this is getting out of hand. Lit.: this walks out of the hand.

Related words:
- Spuien: to drain (off), to sluice surplus water [verb] [spuide, gespuid]. Note that "spuien" can also be used figuratively: to spout (knowledge/criticism etc.).
- Spui: the place in town where one would sluice surplus water in the old days. There is a Spui in at least Amsterdam and in The Hague.
- Gat: hole [noun] [het gat, de gaten].

Van hier tot Tokio

From here to Timbuktu
[Dutch phrase of the week]

I have heard people say "from here to Timbuktu" but I am not sure whether it is used in exactly the same way... In any case: you can use the informal expression "van hier tot Tokio" ("from here to Tokyo") when you want to say that something is very long, or covers a long distance. Sometimes you might hear it used to refer to large quantities.

Examples:
- "Wat ben je laat!"- "Ja, er stond een rij bij de Albert Heijn van hier tot Tokio!" 
("You are late!"- "Yeah, there was a really long queue/line at Albert Heijn!")

- "Het is bizar hoeveel fietsen er staan bij Amsterdam Centraal; rij aan rij van hier tot Tokio!" 
("It is bizar how many bicycles are stalled at Amsterdam Central; row after row from here to Timbuktu!")

- "Als ik jou was zou ik nog even wachten, er staat een file op de A13 van hier tot Tokio." 
("I would wait a bit if I were you, there is a huge traffic jam on the A13.")

Related words:
- "Verweggistan": an unknown country very far away. Composed of "ver weg" ("far away") and the suffix -istan (to make it sound like other far way countries ending in -istan :-) ).
- "Kilometers lang": kilometres long.

Mijn naam is haas

It's nothing to do with me
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally, "mijn naam is haas" translates to "my name is hare"... It is a translation of the German expression "Mein Name ist Hase", see Extra. The expression is used  - often jestingly and apologetically - to say that you don't know anything about something or that something has nothing to do with you.

Examples:
- "Welke prutser is verantwoordelijk voor deze flutpresentatie?" - "Mijn naam is haas." 
("Which screw-up is responsible for this rubbish presentation?" - "It's nothing to do with me.")

- "Ik snap dat Frank bonje zoekt, maar mijn naam is haas." 
("I understand that Frank's looking to pick a fight, but it's nothing to do with me.")

- "Wie heeft de magnetron zo vies gemaakt?"  - "Mijn naam is haas."
("Who messed up the microwave like that?" - "It's nothing to do with me.")

Expressions:
- "Als een haas er vandoor gaan": to be off like a shot.
- "Ik weet van niks": I don't know anything about it. Lit.: I know of nothing.

Example:
- "Wie heeft er zo geroddeld over Lisa?" - "Ik weet van niks..."
("Who has spread such rumours about Lisa?" - "I don't know anything about that...")

Related words:
- Naam: name [noun] [de naam, de namen].

Example:
- "Hoe is uw naam?" - "Sanders."
("What's your name?" - "Sanders". Lit.: "How is your name?")

- Haas: hare [noun] [de haas, de hazen].
- Haasje-over: leap-frog (children's game) [noun] [het haasje-over,<no plural>].

Extra:
"Mijn naam is haas" is translated from the German expression "Mein Name ist Hase" and dates back to a historical event. In 1855, a foreign student had shot his opponent at a duel. The student fled to France to escape prosecution. On his way, he met the German law student Victor Hase in Heidelberg. In order to pass the French-German border in Straßburg, the refugee needed identification papers. He asked Hase, who had a student ID, for help. Now, abusing a student ID was prohibited by the law, but Hase was willing to cooperate. He 'lost' is student ID, the refugee 'found' it, and was able to cross the border. Then things went wrong. After his arrival in France, the refugee lost the student ID, but unfortunately, it turned up again. Hase was called to account in the university's court of law. To save himself, he used a juridical formula: Mein Name ist Hase, ich verneine die Generalfragen, ich weiss von nichts (My name is Hase, I deny the general questions, I know of nothing). The expression soon spread in the short version across the whole of Germany, and also reached the Netherlands.

<From: van Dale - Groot Uitdrukkingen woordenboek>

Daar heb ik geen boodschap aan

That is not of my concern, that is of no relevance to me
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Boodschap" can be translated as "message" or "grocery". See also DWOTD Supermarkt for more on "boodschap". The meaning of "Daar heb ik geen boodschap aan", most likely refers to its meaning as "message". Literally, it can be translated as "I don't have a message on that" but that doesn't make much sense. A sentence with a similar meaning is "Daar heb ik niks mee te maken".

Examples:
- "Wat de buurman van mijn tuin vindt, daar heb ik geen boodschap aan." 
("What the neighbour thinks of my garden doesn't interest me at all.")

- "Hij heeft geen boodschap aan de ouderwetse opvattingen van zijn overgrootoma." 
("He has no interest in the old-fashioned views of his great-grandmother.")

- "Zij heeft er geen boodschap aan wat haar studiegenoten van haar communistische opvattingen vinden." 
("It's of no interest to her what her classmates think of her communist views.")

- "De Nederlandse politicus Wilders had geen boodschap aan de oproep van de regering om zijn Koran-film niet te vertonen." 
("Dutch politician Wilders didn't care about the request of the government to refrain from showing his Quran-film.")

Related words:
- Boodschap: grocery, message [noun] [de boodschap, de boodschappen].
- Boodschappen doen: do groceries [verb] [deed boodschappen, heb boodschappen gedaan].

Het zal wel aan mij liggen

It's probably (just) me
[Dutch phrase of the week]

The verb "liggen" usually translates to "to lie" (position of the body), or "to be" (location of an object). "Liggen aan" can therefore mean "to be located at", but it can also take on the meaning of "to depend on", "to be caused by" or "to be due to". When you say "het zal wel aan mij liggen", you mean to say that it is probably because of the way you are, or the way that you interpret something, that you are somewhat bothered (by something).

Other examples of the use of "liggen aan" are: "het ligt altijd aan een ander" (it is always somebody else's fault) or the classic "het ligt niet aan jou, maar aan mij" (it's not you, it's me).

Examples:
- "Het zal wel aan mij liggen, maar ik vind 2,40 voor een biertje behoorlijk duur!" 
("I think 2,40 for a beer is quite expensive, but that's probably just me!")

- "Ik dacht eerst, het zal wel aan mij liggen, maar later gaf zij zelf toe dat ze fout zat." 
("At first I thought it was because of me, but later she admitted that she was wrong.")

- "Ik vind het asociaal als mensen afval op straat gooien, maar goed, het zal wel weer aan mij liggen." 
("I think it is antisocial when people litter, but hey, it is probably just me again." Literally we say: "throw rubbish on the street.")

Related word:
- Oorzaak: cause, origin [noun] [de oorzaak, de oorzaken].

Dat gaat je niets aan!

That's none of your business!
[Dutch phrase of the week]

The verb "aangaan" is mostly used in the translation of "to be switched/turned on" or "to be activated". But as always there is a completely different meaning, in this case "to concern". "Dat gaat je niets/niks aan" can therefore also be translated with "that does not concern you". Of course you can create your own variation of the phrase, see the Examples.

Examples:
- "Is Dave gisteravond nog mee naar binnen geweest?" - "Wat?! Dat gaat je niets aan!" 
("Did Dave go inside with you last night?" - "What?! That is none of your business!")

- "Ik weet dat het mij eigenlijk niets aangaat, maar hoeveel verdien jij eigenlijk?" - "Je hebt gelijk, dat gaat je inderdaad niets aan!" 
("I know it is not really my business, but how much do you earn anyway?" - "You are right, it is  none of your business for sure!")

- "Wat ben je aan het doen?" - "Dat gaat je niets aan, oprotten!" 
("What are you doing / up to?" -"That's none of your business, beat it / bugger off!")

- "Dit is iets tussen mij en Esther en het gaat je niets aan!" - "Ho eens even, Esther is mijn vriendin, dus het gaat mij wel aan!" 
("This is something between me and Esther and it does not concern you!" - "Hold it right there, Esther is my girlfriend, so it does concern me!")

Expressions:
- "Dat ga ik jou niet aan je neus hangen": that is none of your business, I am not telling you that, as if I would tell you, etc. (Lit.: "I am not going to hang that on your nose.")

Related word:
- Nieuwsgierig: nosy, curious [adjective/adverb]

Dat is geen stijl!

That's no way to behave! [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Dat is geen stijl" literally means "That is no style". "Stijl" means "style" or "manner". Check out this DWOTD to see an example how "style" can be used.

Examples:
- "De autobestuurder reed die voetgangers bijna overhoop terwijl ze over een zebra liepen, dat is echt geen stijl!" 
("The driver of the car almost ran over those pedestrians even though they were walking on a pedestrian crossing, that's no way to behave!")

- "Hij zei helemaal niks tegen haar, deed alsof ze er niet was, dat vind ik echt geen stijl." 
("He didn't say a word to her, pretended she wasn't there, I think that's no way to treat people.")

- "De weblog geenstijl.nl publiceert artikelen en geruchten." 
("The weblog geenstijl.nl publishes news articles and gossip.")

- "<Plaatje:> Mondriaan en Rietveld waren Nederlandse kunstenaars die volgens de principes van "De Stijl" werkten." 
("<Picture:> Mondriaan and Rietveld were Dutch artists who worked according to the principles of "The Style".")

Expressions:
- "In stijl": stylishly.
- "Gevoel voor stijl hebben": to have class/style.

Related words:
- Stijl: style, manner, class [noun] [de stijl, de stijlen].
- Stijlloos: tasteless, tacky, ill-mannered [adverb/adjective].

Een kort lontje hebben

to have a short fuse, to be short-tempered [Dutch phrase of the week]

This expression is the literal translation of "to have a short fuse". It is a quality of a person (or group), who is quickly aroused to anger. Of course, the expression refers to the fact that explosives with a short fuse go off (too) quickly.

Examples:
- "De mensen hebben tegenwoordig zo'n kort lontje...ongelofelijk." 
("People are so short-tempered nowadays...incredible.")

- "Waarom is Frank zo chagrijnig? Hij heeft een erg kort lontje vandaag..." 
("Why is Frank so cranky? He's very short-tempered today...")

Expressions:
- "Met het verkeerde been uit bed stappen": to get up on the wrong side of the bed. Lit.: "to get out of bed with the wrong leg".
- "Snel op z'n pik getrapt zijn": to be short-tempered. Lit.: to be quickly stepped upon one's dick.

Example:
- "Als je iets zegt over Marcs bierbuik, is hij redelijk snel op z'n pik getrapt..."
("When you mention something about Marc's beerbelly, he's gets angry quite quickly.")

Related words:
- Boos: angry [adjective].
- Mopperen: to grumble [verb] [mopperde, gemopperd].
- Opvliegend: hot-tempered [adjective].
- Heetgebakerd: hotheaded [adjective].

Example:
- "De politie heeft de heetgebakerde bullebak onmiddellijk gearresteerd."
("The police have arrested the hotheaded bully immediately.")

Extra:
A few years ago, there was a tv-campaign by the SIRE foundation, which tried to make people aware of having a too short "lontje". SIRE tries to create public awareness on social topics which deserve more attention.

In the mid-nineties, there was a tv-campaign that warned against unsafe use of fireworks. The slogan was "Door dat te korte lontje, heb ik nu een hondje": (lit.) "due to that short fuse, I have little dog now" (i.e. a guide-dog). Of course, in English there's no rhyme...:-)

Maar niet heus!

But not really! / ...not! [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Maar niet heus" is often used jestingly or to emphasize an ironic statement. The word "heus" means "real", "true". It is not used that often, but you will hear it in expressions such as: "is het heus?" ("is it really the case / true?") or "heus niet!" ("no, honestly!, "really not the case!").

Examples:
- "Ja, ik heb er echt veel zin in... maar niet heus!" 
("Yeah, I really feel like it / I am really looking forward to it... not!")

- "Ik moet dit weekend naar mijn schoonouders, dat wordt weer gezellig! ... Maar niet heus!"
("This weekend I'm visiting my parents in law, it will be fun! ... Not!")

- "Vorige maand ben ik wezen schaatsen. Ik kon het nog net zo goed als 15 jaar geleden ... maar niet heus." 
("I went ice skating last month. I was just as good (at it) as I was 15 years ago... but not really.")

Lekker puh!

Serves you right! [Dutch phrase of the week]

It's good to know what "lekker puh" means, but mind that it is used mostly by children. It is often accompanied by making a face and sticking the tongue out. The expression is used teasingly, after outsmarting somebody, to rub something in, when you think somebody got what he/she deserved etc. The translation of "serves you right" doesn't cover it completely, but hopefully you get the gist. Also see some related Expressions.

Examples:
- "Ik ga morgen naar de Efteling en jij niet, lekker puh!" 
("I'm going to the Efteling tomorrow and you are not, ha ha ha!!" The "Efteling" is a popular (fairy tale) fun park.)

- "Ik heb van mamma het laatste snoepje gekregen... Lekker puh!" 
("Mom gave me the last piece of candy... Serves you right!")

- "Jij lachte mij gisteren uit maar nu heb je zelf een puistje, lekker puh!" 
("You laughed at me yesterday, but now you have a pimple yourself, serves you right!")

Expressions:
- "Lekker voor je!": a bit like "lekker puh", but more a cynical "good for you!".
- "(Het is) je verdiende loon!": this is what you deserve! Lit. "it is your deserved wage".

Een kind kan de was doen

It's as simple as that [Dutch phrase of the week]

The literal translation of "Een kind kan de was doen" is "A child can do the laundry". This expression is often an addition to an instruction for an activity or action at hand. It stresses the fact that the action is childlishly simple.

Examples:
- "Je sluit de webcam aan op de laptop en de installatie gaat vanzelf! Een kind kan de was doen!" 
("You connect the webcam to the laptop and the installation is done automatically! It's as simple as that!")

- "Ik stop de afwas in de afwasmachine en een uur later is alles schoon...een kind kan de was doen..." 
("I put the dishes in the dishwasher and after an hour everything is clean...it's as simple as that...")

- "Het is nu ook mogelijk om on-line belastingaangifte te doen. Een kind kan de was doen."  - "Echt niet, ook on-line blijft het een vervelende klus."
("It's possible now to do your tax report on-line. It's as simple as that." - "Really no! Also on-line, it's still an annoying job.")

Expressions:
- "Eitje": piece of cake.
- "Appeltje-eitje": a piece of cake. Lit.: little apple, little egg. An extended version the expression "eitje".
- "Een fluitje van een cent": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little whistle of a cent.
- "Een inkoppertje": a piece of cake.
- "Een peuleschil": a piece of cake. Lit.: a bean's peel.

Example:
- "Deze kruiswoordpuzzel is echt geen peuleschil, level 'Goeroe' is in feite onbegonnen werk..."
("This crossword puzzle is really not a piece of cake, level "Guru" is in fact a hopeless task...")

- "Een koud kunstje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a cold little trick.
- "Een abc'tje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little a-b-c.

Related words:
- Kind: child [noun] [het kind, de kinderen].
- Was: wash, washing, laundry [noun] [de was , <no plural>].
- Doen: to do [verb] [deed, gedaan].

Dat komt goed uit!

that suits me fine, that fits in very well [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Dat komt goed uit" is literally translated as "that comes good out" ;-) The verb in the phrase is "uitkomen" which has several meanings, such as "to end up, to lead to, to come out, to be disclosed". "Dat komt goed uit" is used when two events luckily coincide, making things easier for the people involved. Since it is often used as a reply to a proposition, people might add "me": "dat komt me goed uit", or "that suits me fine" or "that is very convenient for me".

Examples:
- "Ik heb volgende week alleen op dinsdagmiddag nog vrij in mijn agenda." - "Dat komt goed uit, dat is ook de enige middag dat ik kan."
("I only have a free space in my calendar on Tuesday afternoon next week." - "That fits in very well, that's the only afternoon that would be possible for me.")

- "Het komt goed uit dat je Italiaans spreekt, anders hadden we nooit dat vakantiehuisje kunnen regelen." 
("It comes in handy that you speak Italian, otherwise it would have been impossible to arrange that holiday cottage.")

- "Ik heb zo'n zin in winterkost!" - "Dat komt goed uit want ik heb net stamppot gemaakt."
("I really feel like winter food!"- "That's very convenient, because I have just made mashed potatoes and cabbage." See picture for a version of "stamppot" called "boerenkool met worst".)

- "Ik voel me niet zo lekker vandaag maar hoef niet te werken dus dat komt goed uit." 
("I don't feel very well today but I don't have to work so that suits me fine.")

- "Wil je een lift naar huis? Ik moet toch die kant op dus dat komt goed uit." 
("Do you want a ride home? I have to go that direction anyway so that fits in very well.")

Related words:
- Uitkomen: to end up, to come out, to lead to, to be disclosed [verb] [kwam uit, uitgekomen]

Eitje

piece of cake [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Eitje" is the diminutive of "ei", and literally translates to "(little) egg"... Apart from its literal use, "eitje" is used as an expression to say that it is very easy to a perform a certain activity, in other words: to say that something is a piece of cake.

There are a number of equivalent expressions, all translating to "a piece of cake", see Expressions.

Examples:
- "Hoe ging je examen Nederlands?" - "Eitje."
("How did your Dutch exam go?" - "Piece of cake.")

- "Ben je niet helemaal uitgeput na 10 kilometer rennen?" - "Nee man, eitje!"
("Aren't you totally exhausted after running 10 kilometres?" - "No dude, piece of cake!")

- "Ik zit nu al een half uur naar deze sudoku te koekeloeren, maar ik kom niet verder..."  - "Kom hier, deze is echt een eitje."
("I'm staring at this sudoku for half an hour now already, but I can't seem to get any further..." - "Come here, this one's really a piece of cake.")

Expressions:
- "Appeltje-eitje": a piece of cake. Lit.: little apple, little egg. An extended version the expression "eitje".
- "Een fluitje van een cent": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little whistle of a cent.
- "Een inkoppertje": a piece of cake.
- "Een peuleschil": a piece of cake. Lit.: a bean's peel.

Example:
- "Deze kruiswoordpuzzel is echt geen peuleschil, level 'Goeroe' is in feite onbegonnen werk..."
("This crossword puzzle is really not a piece of cake, level "Guru" is in fact a hopeless task...")

- "Een koud kunstje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a cold little trick.
- "Een abc'tje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little a-b-c.

Related words:
- Ei: egg [noun] [het ei, de eieren].

Eens maar nooit weer

Once is enough / Never again [Dutch phrase of the week] 

In this phrase "eens" has the meaning of "once" or "one time only". You will also hear "Dat is/was eens maar nooit meer". And... I now realize that this phrase is very close to "Eén keer nooit meer!" that we have already covered, so I guess the phrase does not apply to this post ;-)

Examples:
- "Ik ben op zaterdagmiddag naar de Mediamarkt in Den Haag gegaan. Nou dat was eens maar nooit meer!" 
("I went to Mediamarkt in the Hague on Saturday afternoon. Well, never again I say!")

- "En, ben je nog naar dat restaurant geweest dat ik had voorgesteld? Ja, en het was eens maar nooit meer!" 
("And, did you go to the restaurant that I suggested? Yes, and once was enough!")

- "Ga je ooit nog trouwen? Nee, ik denk dat het eens maar nooit meer is." 
("Will you ever get married again? No, I think one time was enough!"

Related words:
- Eenmaal: once, one time only [adverb].
- Nooit: never [adverb].

Dat doet de deur dicht

that does it, that's it, that is the last straw [Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally, "dat doet de deur dicht" translates to "that closes the door". This expression is used when something unpleasant happens which makes you feel that you've had it with it. The tone at which this expression is used is often indignant.

Examples:
- "Mijn auto is nu voor de derde keer bekrast...dat doet de deur dicht!" 
("My car has been scratched for the third time now...that does it!")

- "Frank heeft zich deze week al twee keer verslapen."  - "Dat doet de deur dicht!"
("Frank has overslept twice already this week." - "That is the last straw!")

- "Dit is het derde jaar zonder loonsverhoging. Dat doet de deur dicht, ik neem ontslag!" 
("This is the third year without a raise. That's it, I quit!")

Expressions:
- "Dat is de druppel die de emmer doet overlopen!": that is the last straw! Lit.: "That is the drop that makes the bucket flow over".
- "Dat is de druppel!": Short version of "dat is de druppel die de emmer doet overlopen": that is the last straw!

Example:
- "Dit weekend alweer een slachtoffer van zinloos geweld. Dat is de druppel!"
("Again a victim of pointless violence this weekend. That is the last straw!")

- "Dat is het toppunt!": that's the limit!
- "Er genoeg van hebben": to have enough of it.

Related words:
- Deur: door [noun] [de deur, de deuren].
- Dicht: closed [adjective].
- Dichtdoen: to close [verb] [deed dicht, dichtgedaan]. Lit.: to do/make (something) closed.
- Sluiten: to close [verb] [sloot, gesloten].
- Verontwaardigd: indignant [adjective].

Ho eens even!

Not so fast! / Now just a minute! / Hold it right there! [Dutch phrase of the week]

The word "ho" is an interjection. You can use it when you want to say "stop!". It is the typical thing to say to a horse if you want it to stop, but if you don't ride a horse, you can use it when somebody is pouring you wine and you have had enough. Not that I ever do so ;-)

"Ho eens even" is typically used when somebody is going to fast, literally or figuratively, or when you want somebody to realize that this is not how things are done.

Examples:
- "Ho eens even meneer, u hebt nog niet betaald!" 
("Hold it right there sir, you haven't paid yet!")

 - "Ho eens even, nu draaf je door; de kredietcrisis heeft hier niets mee te maken!" 
("Now just a minute, you are rattling on. The financial crisis has nothing to do with this!")

- "Mevrouw, ho eens even! Ik sta al veel langer in de rij te wachten dan u!" 
("Not so fast madam! I have been waiting in line / queueing a lot longer than you (have)!")

Related words:
- Ho!: stop! [interjection].
- Stoppen: to stop [verb] [stopte, gestopt].
- Doorgaan: to continue [verb] [ging door, doorgegaan].

Weet ik veel!

I don't know! / How should I know? [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Weet ik veel" is a phrase that is used a lot by youth in the sense of "I don't care", "I don't know" , or "how am I supposed to know". Literally, it can be translated by "do I know a lot" or " I know a lot". Most people use it when they are getting a little bit annoyed by an event of a question. It's quite an informal expression so don't use it to your boss or people you don't know very well. 

Examples:
- "<Leraar:> Hoe schrijf je jouw naam in het Arabisch?" "<Leerling:> Weet ik veel!" 
("<Teacher:> How do you write your name in Arabic?" "<Student:> How am I supposed to know?" )

- "Wil je dat McCain wint of ben je voor Obama? " Weet ik veel, ik weet niks van politiek." 
("Do you want McCain to win or are you in favour of Obama?" "I don't know, I don't know anything about politics." Lit. "..., I know nothing of politics.")

- "Hij zegt dat ik het geheugen van de computer moet vergroten maar weet ik veel hoe dat moet!" 
("He tells me to increase the computer's memory but how should I know how to do that!")

- "Weet ik veel hoeveel vitaminen ik moet eten op een dag, ik ben toch geen dokter!" 
("How should I know how many vitamins I should eat every day, I'm not a doctor, am I!")

Related words:
- Weten: to know [verb] [knew, known].
- Veel: much, a lot [adverb/adjective].
- Weinig: little, not a lot [adverb/adjective].
- Niks: nothing [adverb].

We laten de boel de boel

Let's leave things as they are [Dutch phrase of the week]

You can use the expression "de boel de boel laten" when you make the deliberate choice not to do anything about what you should be doing something about. Then you go and do something else (fun) instead!

This phrase is commonly used when you don't want to do the housekeeping... :-)

The word "boel" is derived from "boedel" ("big quantity") or "inboedel" ("home contents"). The common translation of "boel" is "things (to be done)", "matters", "stuff" etc.

Examples:
- "Kom, we laten de boel de boel en we gaan dit weekend naar Rome!" 
("Come on, let's leave things as they are and go to Rome this weekend!")

- "Soms zou ik gewoon de boel de boel willen laten, maar ja, ik voel me altijd zo verantwoordelijk voor de dingen!" 
("Sometimes I would really like to leave things as they are, but you see, I always feel so responsible for things/everything!")

- "Het is zulk lekker weer! Laten we de boel de boel laten en lekker een fles wijn opentrekken!" 
("It is such great weather! Let's leave things as they are and open a bottle of wine instead!" Note twice the use of "laten": first to say "let us" and then to say "leave the things". The verb "opentrekken" means "to pull open" and here it refers to the "uncorking" of the bottle.)

Related words:
- Boel: things, matters, stuff [noun] [de boel, no plural].
- Huishouden: housekeeping or household [noun] [het huishouden, de huishoudens].

Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen?!

What's happening, what's all this? [Dutch phrase of the week]

You all know how the Dutch love their bikes. Since bikes are such a large part of everyday Dutch life, many references to it exist in the Dutch language. A few months ago, we explained "Op die fiets". "Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen" literally means: "What is hanging from my bike now?" and it can be used in this sense when you find for instance a flyer attached to your bike (see picture). Most often however, it is used figuratively to express one's astonishment: "What's happening to me now?" or "What's all this?".

Examples:
-"Hij stond om drie uur 's ochtends aan te bellen! Ik dacht 'Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen?'." 
("He was ringing my doorbell at three o'clock in the morning! I didn't understand what was happening." Lit.: "... I thought 'What's going on?")

-"Vertel je me nu dat je me op staande voet ontslaat? Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen?" 
("Are you telling me that you are firing me on the spot? What's all this?" Please note that 'op staande voet' is an expression meaning "at once", or "on the spot". )

- "Ik gaf de zwerver een euro, en toen zei hij: "Één euro maar? Heb je niet meer?" Ik dacht 'Wat heb ik nou aan mijn fiets hangen?". " 
("I gave the tramp a euro, and he said to me: "Only one euro? Is that all you have?" I thought 'What's all this?'")

Related words:
- Fiets: bike, bicycle [noun] [de fiets, de fietsen].
- Hangen: to hang [verb] [hing, gehangen].

Dat zit zo

It's like this [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Dat zit zo" is literally translated with "That sits like this", which does not really make a lot of sense :-) In Dutch however, it is a common expression for an introduction to a narrative explanation. You may also see the alternative "het zit zo".

"Dat zit zo" can be used after the question "hoe zit dat?" or "hoe zit het met [...]?", resp. translating to "how is that?" and "what's the deal on [...]?" See the Examples.

Examples:
- "Hoe zit dat?" - "Dat zit zo:"
("How is that?" - "It's like this:")

- "Hoe zit het met de reiskostenvergoeding bij dit bedrijf?" - "Dat zit zo:"
("What's the deal on this company's compensation of travel expenses?" - "It's like this:"

- "Hoe zit het met dat gedoe tussen jou en Frank?" - "Nou, dat zit zo..."
- "What's up with the fuss between you and Frank?" - Well, it's like this..."

- "Makker, kijk jij naar mijn vriendin? Hoe zit dat??" - "Dat zie je verkeerd. Het zit zo..."
("Dude, are you checking out my girlfriend? What's up with that??" - "You got it wrong. It's like this...")

Wat kan mij het schelen!

What do I care! / I can't  be bothered! [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase is used when you convince yourself that you shouldn't care, don't want to care, or just don't care when making a decision.

Alternative versions of this phrase are "wat kan mij het ook schelen!" or "wat kan mij dat nou schelen!", the latter also suitable to use as a response to a claim, much the same way as "lekker belangrijk!".

In this phrase "schelen" has the meaning of "to be of concern" or "to matter". You will also hear the verb used in the translation of "to differ" or "to make a (financial) difference".

Examples:
- "Wat kan mij het schelen, ik parkeer gewoon op de stoep!"
("What do I care, I'll just park on the pavement/side walk!")

- "Ik ga vandaag een uur eerder naar huis, wat kan mij het schelen!"
("I'm going home an hour early today, what do I care!")

- "Nou, dan ga je toch niet mee vanavond. Wat kan mij dat nou schelen!"
("Well, then stay at home tonight. As if I care!" Literally "dan ga je toch niet mee" translates as "then you don't come along" with "toch" emphasizing that it is contrary to what was expected/agreed.)

- "Meneer, dit pak staat u echt geweldig!" - "Het is eigenlijk boven mijn budget, maar wat kan mij het ook schelen, ik doe het!"
("Sir, this suit looks great on you!" - "It is in fact above budget, but what do I care, I'll take it!)

Het zal je maar gebeuren!

Imagine something like that happening to you!
[Dutch phrase of the week]

This sentence is used if someone wants to express his sympathy about an unfortunate and unexpected event happening to (usually a third) person. The literal translation of "Het zal je gebeuren" is "It will happen to you"; it's the "maar" that gives this sentence the imaginative meaning: "Just imagine that that would happen to you". The event that is referred to can range from an unimportant occurence to a grave accident or crime.

Examples:
- "Een week voor zijn vakantie ging de luchtvaartmaatschappij waar hij zijn ticket had geboekt, failliet. Het zal je maar gebeuren!"
("One week before his vacation the flight company where he had booked his ticket went bankrupt. Imagine that happening to you!")

- "Het zal je maar gebeuren dat iemand drugs in je drankje stopt!"
("Imagine that someone would put drugs in your drink!")

- "Toen zij haar vriend ten huwelijk vroeg, maakte hij het uit! Het zal je maar gebeuren!"
("When she proposed to her boyfriend, he dumped her! Imagine that!")

- "Het zal je maar gebeuren dat je wakker wordt en je boot op de punt van een rots vastzit!"
("Just imagine that you wake up and your boat is stuck on the peak of a rock!")

- "Toen ze de inbreker op heterdaad betrapte, heeft hij haar neergestoken. Het zal je maar gebeuren!"
("When she caught the burgler red-handed, he stabbed her. Imagine something like that happening to you!")

Extra: 
Protestant public broadcast channel EO (short for "Evangelische Omroep", translated as "Evangelical broadcasting corporation") has a weekly series titled "Het zal je maar gebeuren!" The television show follows people who went through an unfortunate event in their lives and found a way to deal with it. Check out this link for the stories that will be shown in the coming weeks.

Aan de slag!

(Let's) get going / get to work! [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase can be used to encourage people to start with an activity right away, or as an announcement that you (all) are going to get busy. The activity is usually involves serious effort such as studying or work.

You can also use the phrase with the verbs "zijn" and "gaan". You will use "aan de slag zijn" for being in a work related activity or "having a job" (informally). Alternatively you can use "aan de slag gaan" for going to start an activity or "starting a job" (informally). Check out the example sentences.

Note that you will mostly hear the word "slag" used in its translation of "blow/stroke/strike" or "battle".

Examples:
- "Jongens het is al half 9 geweest, open je boek op pagina 16 en aan de slag!"
("Guys, it's past 8.30 now, open your book at page 16 and let's get going!")

- "Ok mensen, de koffie is op, aan de slag!"
("Alright people, we have finished our coffee, let's get to work!"

- "Na drie weken vakantie ga ik morgen weer aan de slag; jammer!"
("After three weeks of holiday, I'm getting back to work tomorrow; too bad!)

- "Zal ik jullie morgen komen helpen?" - "Nou graag, maar we gaan wel al om 8 uur aan de slag!"
("Shall I help you out tomorrow morning?" - "Well, please do, but mind that we will be starting at 8!")

- "Het was gezellig om weer bij te kletsen, maar nu is het tijd om weer aan de slag te gaan!"
("It was really nice to catch up again, but now it's time to get back to work!")

- "Chantal zoekt al heel lang een baan. Ze ziet er echt naar uit om weer aan de slag te gaan."
("Chantal has been looking for a job for quite some time now. She is really looking forward to getting back to work.")

Mij best

Fine with me [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase is used to say that you have no problems with something, almost as if you don't care. Its use is informal.

Sometimes you will see/hear the even shorter "Best.": Fine.

Also check out "Het moet maar", which is used when you actually do have problems with something, but agree unwillingly nevertheless.

Examples:
- "Marc, schrijf jij vandaag een DWOTD?" - "Mij best."
("Marc, will you write a DWOTD today?" - "Fine with me.")

- "Doen we nog een afzakkertje?" - "Best."
("Shall we have one for the road?" - "Fine.")

- "Zullen we aanstaande vrijdag afspreken?" - "Mij best."
("Shall we meet next Friday?" - "Fine with me.")

Expressions:
- "Geen probleem": no problem.
- "Het moet maar": oh well allright, I guess it just has to be done.

Related words:
- "Onverschillig": Indifferent.
- "Okee": okay.

Van een kouwe kermis thuiskomen

to have a rude awakening, to be brought down to earth with a shock [Dutch phrase of the week]

The literal translation of this week's phrase is "to come home from a cold fair". You may understand its  figurative meaning in the context of the dramatic turn of events for the Dutch soccer team, being kicked out of the European Championship soccer tournament: a rude awakening for all of us...

"Kouwe" is spoken language for "koude", from the adjective "koud": cold.  

Examples:
- "Door de 3-1 nederlaag tegen Rusland kwam Nederland van een kouwe kermis thuis."
("The 3-1 defeat by Russia was a rude awakening for the Netherlands.")

- "Hoe kon Oranje dit overkomen?" - "Ja gozer, wie zal het zeggen? We komen van een kouwe kermis thuis..."
("How could this happen to the Dutch team?" - "Yeah buddy, who will tell? We've been brought down to earth with a shock...")

Expressions:
- "Met de staart tussen de benen afdruipen": to clear off with one's tail between one's legs.
- "In zak en as zitten": to be in sackcloth and ashes, to be in a state of despair.
- "Rauw/Koud op iemands dak vallen": lit.: to fall raw/cold on someone's roof: to be quite unprepared for something.

Related words:
- "Kermis" (de ~; <plural> de kermissen) : fair.
- "Koud" (adjective): cold.
- "Teleurstelling"(de ~; <plural> de teleurstellingen): disappointment.

(picture from sportwereld.nl)

Hup Holland Hup!

Go Holland Go!  [Dutch phrase of the week]

You might be wondering what everyone's singing these days during soccer games. "Hup Holland Hup" is one of the most heard phrases and can be translated to something like "Go Holland Go". In the pronunciation link above, it is pronounced in a serious tone, but in reality it is usually shouted enthusiastically by excited supporters. As was explained in the DWOTD "Knuppel", the word "hup" is only used in this alliteration. In all other circumstances it would be very archaic (however, it can be used to encourage somebody to hurry up a bit). "Hup Holland Hup" is the first line of the chorus of a popular song that has been sung since 1974:

"Hup Holland hup
Laat de leeuw niet in z'n hempie staan
Hup Holland hup
Trek het beessie geen pantoffels aan
Hup Holland hup
Laat je uit 't veld niet slaan
Want de leeuw op voetbalschoenen
Durft de hele wereld aan"

"Go Holland go
Don't make the lion look foolish (Lit.: "Don't let the lion stand in his little vest". Note that "hempie" is a popular diminutive for "hemd" which can be translated as "shirt". The formal diminutive for "hemd" is "hempje".)
Go Holland go
Release the animal (Lit.: "Don't let the animal wear slippers". Note that "beessie" is a popular diminutive for "beest" which can be translated as "animal". The formal diminutive for "beest" is "beestje".)
Go Holland go
Don't let them take you aback (Lit.: "Don't let them beat you out of the field". Note that the order of the words in this sentence is altered to better fit the melody.)
Because the lion wearing football shoes
Can take on the whole world"

Other songs that are often sung are the one-liner "Het is stil aan de overkant" which can be translated to "It's quiet on the other side", and the oldie "Wij houden van Oranje", translated as "We love (the) Orange (team)", sung for the first time in 1988 by the famous Dutch singer André Hazes, who passed away in 2004. Below, the chorus of the latter song is shown and translated. Click here to see and listen to André singing this song.

"Nederland oh Nederland
Jij bent de kampioen
Wij houden van Oranje
Om zijn daden en zijn doen"

"The Netherlands oh the Netherlands
You are the champion
We love the Orange team
For all its achievements (Lit.:"For its deeds and actions")"

Goed bezig!

nice job, great work, doing well! [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Goed bezig" is actually a shortened form of "<subject> <finite form of "zijn"> goed bezig": "you are doing well".

"Bezig" actually translates to "busy" and "bezig zijn" means "to be in the act of". So "goed bezig" means that whatever it is that you are doing, you are doing it well, or you are doing well for yourself. You can also use it to encourage somebody, a bit like the "nice job!" that I frequently hear when I'm in the U.S.

Mind that "goed bezig" is used informally. You will also hear "lekker bezig" which kind of has the same meaning but is mainly used ironically, see the last example.

Examples:
- "Heb jij ook gemerkt dat Edyta al veel beter Nederlands spreekt?" - "Ja man, ze is echt goed bezig!"
("Have you also noticed that Edyta's Dutch has already improved?" - "Yeah man, she is really doing well!" Lit. "...that Edyta already speaks Dutch a lot better?")

- "Goed bezig mannen!"
("Nice job guys! / (You are) doing well guys!")

- "Wist je al dat Pepijn en Anneloes een huis hebben gekocht?" - "Nee nog niet. Maar die zijn dus goed bezig!"
("Did you know that Pepijn and Anneloes have bought a house?" - "No not yet. I understand that they are doing well!" Note that "maar" normally translates to "but" and "dus" to "thus/hence", but in this case the "maar <subject> dus" is best translated with "I understand".)

- "Frank is net begonnen met zijn nieuwe baan en heeft nu al promotie gemaakt!" - "Zo hee, die is goed bezig!"
("Frank has just started his new job and now he has already been promoted!" - "Wow, he is doing well for himself!" Literally "... has made promotion".)

- "Er komt weer een reorganisatie aan!" - "Nou, het management is weer lekker bezig!")
("There is another reorganization coming!" - "<ironically:> My, the management at its best again!")

Het moet maar

(oh well alright,) I guess it just has to be done [Dutch phrase of the week] 

The translation above is just one of many possibilities, depending on context. We'll cover a few in the Examples.

Examples:
- "Ik heb helemaal geen zin om vandaag weer naar het werk te gaan...het moet maar..."
("I really don't feel like going to work again today...I guess I'll just have to do it...")

- "Ga jij ook naar de afscheidsborrel van Frank?" - "Het moet maar..."
("Are you going to the Frank's farewell drink too?" - "I guess I have no choice...")

- "Spring, spring!" - "Het moet maar..."
("Jump, jump!" - "Here goes nothing...")

- "Sander, weet jij een andere vertaling voor 'het moet maar' ?" - "Nee makker, het moet maar zo...bij gebrek aan betere alternatieven..."
("Sander, do you know another translation for 'het moet maar' ?"- "No dude, I guess we'll have to do this one...for lack of better alternatives...")

Related words:
- "Moeten": [verb] to must, to have to.
- "Maar": [adverb] but, only, just.

Het geeft niet

it's no problem, it doesn't matter [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Het geeft niet" is what the Dutch say as a response to "sorry", that is, if they really think it's not such a big deal. A typical example would be when someone accidentally steps on your toe in the tram and apologizes. Literally, it can be translated as "it doesn't give". Instead of "het geeft niet", you might hear people responding with "het maakt niet uit". In both cases, the sentences are often pronounced without "het". 

"Het geeft niet" can also be translated as "it doesn't matter" or "it's no big deal" (see Examples).

Examples:
- "Ging ik op uw teen staan? Sorry." - "(Het) geeft niet, u kunt het ook niet helpen dat het hier zo druk is."
(-"Did I just step on your toe? My apologies." - "No problem, you can't help it that it's extremely busy in here.")

- "Sorry, ik heb per ongeluk wijn gemorst op je overhemd." - "Geeft niet/maakt niet uit, ik stop het wel in de was."
("-I'm sorry I accidentally spilled wine on your shirt." -"Don't worry about it, I'll put it in the laundry.")

- "Het spijt me enorm dat ik er niet voor je was toen je vriend het uitmaakte." - "Het geeft niet, je kon toch ook niet weten dat het zo slecht ging."
(-"I'm so sorry that I wasn't here for you when your boyfriend broke up with you!" -"It doesn't matter, how were you supposed to know that our relationship was not going very well.")

- "Ik heb per ongeluk je zonnebril kapot gemaakt toen ik hem paste." - "Het geeft niet/het maakt niet uit, ik koop wel weer een nieuwe."
(-"I accidentally broke your sunglasses when I tried them on." -"Don't worry about it, I'll buy new ones.")

- "De directrice zit vast in een file, dus het geeft niet/het maakt niet uit dat u een beetje laat bent. Neemt u plaats, ze komt er zo aan."
("The director is stuck in a traffic jam so it's no problem that you are a little late. Please take a seat, she will be here soon.")

Als de wiedeweerga

right away, on the double, in a flash [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Als de" translates to "like the". But what does "wiedeweerga" mean? Well, it is something fast, that's for sure! And it can imply urgency, so it is a bit stronger than just "right away".

You might also hear "als de gesmeerde bliksem": like greased lightning!

Examples:
- "Ik moet als de wiedeweerga mijn koffer in gaan pakken, want anders red ik het niet!"
("I have to start packing my suitcase right away, because otherwise I will not make it!" Note the use of "het redden": although "redden" means "to save (somebody/something)", "het redden" means "to make it (in time for something)" or "to succeed".)

- "En nu ga je als de wiedeweerga je kamer opruimen, want ik ben het zat!"
("And now you will clean up your room, on the double, because I have had it!")

- "Waar is Cathrine?" - "Ik weet het niet, ze kreeg een telefoontje en toen is ze als de wiedeweerga naar Zweden vertrokken!"
("Where is Cathrine?" - "I don't know, she received a phone call and then she left for Sweden in a flash!")

Onbegonnen werk

It's a hopeless task [Dutch phrase of the week]

The literal translation of this phrase is "unbegun work". It is used to say that a certain activity is hopeless or impossible to even begin undertaking.

Examples:
- "Het is onbegonnen werk om met de vrijdagmiddagfiles van Den Haag naar Maastricht te rijden."
("It's a hopeless task to drive from The Hague to Maastricht with the Friday afternoon traffic jams.")

- "Kun jij mijn brief controleren op spelfouten?" - "Onbegonnen werk, jongen..."
("Can you check my letter for spelling errors?" - "That's hopeless, dude...")

Expression:
- "Dat is zoeken naar een speld in een hooiberg": That's looking for a needle in a haystack.

Related words:
- "Hopeloos": hopeless.
- "Onmogelijk": impossible.

Dat slaat nergens op

that makes no sense at all [Dutch phrase of the week]

The informal "dat slaat nergens op" can be a bit stronger than "that makes no sense at all", and can convey the message that you think it is ridiculous or plain crazy.

The literal translation does not seem to make much sense: "That beats/hits on nowhere". In this context however, "slaan op" translates to "to refer to", where "nergens" translates to "nowhere". From "that refers to nowhere" it is a small step to "that makes no sense at all", well, at least it is for us ;-)

To say it even stronger, "helemaal" can be added to the phrase: "Dat slaat helemaal nergens op!" And if you are looking for (implicit) confirmation, you can add "toch": "dat slaat toch helemaal nergens op!" :-)

You will also hear the question: "Waar slaat dit op?" ("What is this about? / What is this supposed to be/do?")

Examples:
- "Meneer, u mag hier niet parkeren!" - "Belachelijk! Dat slaat helemaal nergens op!"
("Sir, you are not allowed to park here!" - "Ridiculous! That really makes no sense at all!")

- "Wat vond je van de uitleg van de professor?" - "Die sloeg helemaal nergens op!"
("What did you think of the professor's explanation?" - "It really didn't make any sense at all!")

- "Het slaat nergens op dat ik door die mierenneuker word beschuldigd van het gebruiken van schuttingtaal!"
("It's ridicuous that I'm being accused of using foul language by that nitpicker!")

- "De prijs die je tegenwoordig moet betalen voor een enkeltje Den Haag - Amsterdam slaat helemaal nergens op!"
("The price one has to pay nowadays for a single ticket from The Hague to Amsterdam is ridiculous!" Note that "enkel" in Dutch can have two meanings: 'single', or 'ankle'. It is common to use the diminutive "enkeltje" for a single train ticket. A return ticket is a "retour" or "retourtje".)

Related words:
- "Onzin": nonsense.
- "Belachelijk": ridiculous. Lit. "laughable".
- "Onterecht": unjust, wrongful.

Aan de lopende band

constantly, all the time [Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally translated, a "lopende band" would be something like a "running belt". Actually, "lopende band" is the translation for "conveyor belt" (as part of an assembly line in a factory). The expression "aan de lopende band" is used to refer to the continuous or repetitive nature of a certain event or activity.
In the case of a continuous activity "aan de lopende band" is synonymous to "de hele tijd", which is the literal translation of "all the time", see the Examples.

Examples:
- "Tijdens de vergadering moest Frank aan de lopende band hoesten."
("During the meeting, Frank had to cough constantly.")

- "Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat jij me aan de lopende band beledigt, en dat ik mijn mond moet houden!"
("It can't possibly be the case that you insult me all the time, and that I have to keep my mouth shut!")

- "Schat, je zit aan de lopende band in je neus te peuteren." - "Moet jij nodig zeggen!"
("Honey, you're picking your nose all the time." - "Look who's talking!" Note that the typical Dutch construction for continuous activities is used here: [subject]  + [conjugation of verbs suchs as "lopen" / "zitten" / "staan" / "hangen"]  + ["te"] + [infinitive].)

- "Die man met dat blotebillengezicht zit de hele tijd naar me te gluren...wat een engerd!"
("That man with the pudding-face is peeping at me all the time...what a creep!" In Dutch, "scary" or "spooky" is translated with "eng".)

Related words:
- "Lopen": to walk, to run.
- "Band": band, belt, strip, tire.

Op het nippertje

at the very last moment, only just in time, a close call [Dutch phrase of the week]

A "nipper" does not exist, nor does "nippertje" have a meaning of its own. You'll only hear and use it in this phrase. Another version is "op het laatste nippertje": at the very very last moment.

Examples:
- "Vanochtend heb ik op het nippertje de trein gehaald."
("This morning I only just managed to catch the train." Note that the Dutch say "de trein halen".)

- "De scholier stak zonder te kijken de spoorwegovergang over, en is op het nippertje aan de dood ontsnapt."
("The pupil/student crossed the railway/road crossing without looking, and escaped death by a hair's breadth.")

- "Iedereen was ruimschoots op tijd, terwijl Frank weer eens op het laatste nippertje arriveerde."
("Everybody arrived well on time, while Frank once again arrived at the very very last moment.")

Het is zo gepiept

It's easily done/fixed/accomplished, it won't take long (to complete) [Dutch phrase of the week]

The verb "piepen" is translated with "to squeak, peep, shriek, wheeze" or verbs such as "to whine/moan". However in the phrase "het is zo gepiept" it takes the meaning of "to complete/do/fix/...", and you will only encounter it as such in this phrase.

Mind that whatever it is that has to be completed, must be a physical activity.

Examples:
- "Hoe lang gaat dit duren denk je?" - "O, maak je geen zorgen, het is zo gepiept!"
("How long do you think this wil take?" - "Oh, don't worry about, it won't take long!")

- "Kun je me helpen met het verplaatsen van de wasmachine? Ik zweer het je: het is zo gepiept!"
("Can you help me move the washing machine? I swear: it won't take long!" Lit. "...with the moving of the washing machine? I swear it to you:...".)

- "Dat gaat ons toch nooit lukken, dan moeten we allemaal gaten gaan boren!" - "Nou en, het is zo gepiept, let maar op!"
("We will never be able to do that, we'd have to drill all these holes!" - "So what, it's easily done, just watch me!" Lit. "We will never succeed in doing that..." - "Now and..., just pay attention!")

Moet jij nodig zeggen!

Look who's talking! [Dutch phrase of the week]  

This phrase is always used to express irony. The literal translation - "Must you necessarily say" - does not make much sense, but something like "It is really necessary that you say that...NOT" would somewhat cover its meaning. Luckily, there's a dedicated English phrase for it: "Look who's talking".

The phrase can be used in every person, see the Examples.

Examples:
- "Jij bent echt druk!" - "Moet jij nodig zeggen! Ik probeer al weken een afspraak met je te maken!"
("You're a really busy person!" - "Look who's talking! I've been trying for weeks now, to make an appointment with you!")

- "Frank beweert dat jij je snor hebt gedrukt tijdens de vergadering." - "Moet hij nodig zeggen! Hij kwam tien minuten te laat!"
("Frank claims that you weaseled out during the meeting." - "Look who's talking! He came in ten minutes late!")

- "Wordt het niet eens tijd dat je gaat stofzuigen?" - "Moet jij nodig zeggen, jij zou afwassen weet je nog?!"
("Isn't it about time that you start vacuum-cleaning?" - "Look who's talking, you were supposed to wash up / do the dishes, remember?!")

Related words:
- "Nodig": necessary, needful.
- "Zeggen": to say.

Related expressions:
- "Moet je horen wie het zegt!": this phrase can be used the same way as "moet jij nodig zeggen" but you don't have to conjugate as you are not addressing somebody directly.
- "Het moet niet gekker worden!": This is ridiculous!

375. (Het is een) gekkenhuis!

It's chaos/insane/bizar, completely crazy/wacko [Dutch phrase of the week] 

This phrase has a few variations depending on where the chaos actually is :-) and translations may vary, see the examples.

Now, what is a "gekkenhuis" anyway? It's the colloquial word for "mental asylum", literally meaning "house of nutters/madmen" or "madhouse".

So the phrase basically says that a situation or process is like one would expect to occur in a "gekkenhuis". Not the most politically correct you might think, but nevertheless very common in everyday speech.

Sometimes the phrase is abbreviated to just the word "gekkenhuis", an example of which can be found below (or in this car commercial that appeared on Dutch television a few years ago showing two sloths discussing the capabilities of a car).

Examples:
- "Ken je de drie dwaze dagen in de Bijenkorf? - "Het is een gekkenhuis jongen!"
("Do you know the "drie dwaze dagen" at the Bijenkorf?" - Man/dude, it's chaos!")

- "Op Koninginnedag is heel Amsterdam een gekkenhuis!"
("On Queen's Day it's total chaos in the entire city of Amsterdam.")

- "Ik was gisteren op het strand in Scheveningen. Gekkenhuis!"
("Yesterday I was at the beach in Scheveningen. It was complete chaos!")

- "Ze sluiten de binnenstad af voor alle autoverkeer!" - "Echt? Gekkenhuis..."
("They are closing off the city centre for all motor/car traffic!" - "Really? Insane..."

- "Het is een gekkenhuis. Een gekkenhuis."
("It's a madhouse. A madhouse." Charlton Heston in 'Planet of the Apes'.)

370. Laat maar zitten

That's all right / OK, don't mention it, forget about it, let's drop it, just leave it [Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally translated "laat maar zitten" doesn't make a lot of sense: "Just let it sit" :-)

In speech "laat maar zitten" is used in the following cases:
- when someone thanks you and you want to say something like "don't mention it, forget about it"; or
- when you ordered/wanted something, but you don't want/need it anymore; or
- when you want to tell somebody to keep the change; or
- when you don't want to discuss something any longer.

We have tried to capture this in the following examples, try to make your own!

Examples:
- "Wat aardig van je dat je de afwas doet!" - "Ach schat, laat maar zitten."
("How nice of you to the dishes / to wash up!" - "Oh honey, don't mention it.")

- "Wil je je koffie nog?" - "Nee dank je, laat maar zitten."
("Do you still want your coffee?" - "No thank you, I'm/that's all right.")

- "Mevrouw, laat dat broodje dat ik heb besteld maar zitten, want dit duurt veel te lang."
("Miss/madam, just forget about the sandwich that I ordered, this is taking way too long." Note that you can put the object that you don't want anymore between "laat" and "maar zitten".)

- "Dat is dan 45 cent terug." - "O, laat maar zitten."
("That's 45 cents change." - "Oh that's all right / keep the change." Lit.: "That's 45 cents back.")

- "Maar waarom wil je niet op bezoek bij mijn moeder?" - "Ach liefie, laat nou maar zitten."
("But why don't you want to go on a visit to my mother?" - "O darling, just drop it." Note that the adding of the word "nou" strengthens the meaning and clearly indicates that you want to drop the subject. You will also hear "laat nou maar!")

Expressions:
- "Geen dank": don't mention it.
- "Graag gedaan": you're welcome.
- "Laat nou maar!": just drop it, just leave it!

365. Lekker belangrijk

As if I (we) care / Who cares [Dutch phrase of the week]

The use of "lekker" in the Dutch language is ubiquitous and difficult to master at first. That's why we still haven't covered it explicitly as a DWOTD :-)

"Lekker belangrijk" literally translates to "nicely/tastily important" which of course does not make sense. "Lekker" - used as an adverb - can have the meaning of "quite" or "really". For example "lekker druk" translates to "quite busy" (in a pleasant way).

However, "lekker belangrijk" is always used ironically and, in addition to the translations given above, can be translated to phrases such as "Really important...NOT!", "Whatever!" or "I can't be bothered". It is also used to immediately express your disinterest in whatever somebody is talking about. For example in the daily radio show "Evers staat op" with DJ Edwin Evers on Dutch Radio538, the "lekker belangrijk" tune is played when either he or one of the sidekicks is talking nonsense or goes on too long on the same topic.

 Examples:
- "Vanavond is Dancing With The Stars op tv." - "O ja? Lekker belangrijk zeg..."
("Dancing With The Stars is on TV tonight." - "Oh really? As if I care...")

- "Premier Balkenende spreekt vandaag het volk toe, lekker belangrijk..."
("Prime minister Balkenende addresses the people today, as if we care...")

Related words:
- "Boeien": to captivate, to fascinate, to be bothered/interested. "Boeien!" or "boeiend!" can be used in the same way as "lekker belangrijk" and you will also here "wat boeit het" or "wat boeit mij dat/het".

Example:
- "Dit weekend speelt PSV tegen Feyenoord." - "Boeien! Ik hou niet van voetbal."
("This weekend, PSV plays against Feyenoord." - "Can't be bothered! I don't like football/soccer.")

Extra:
One of the characters in The Catherina Tate Show - Lauren - has become known for her frequent use of her catch phrase "Am I bothered?!", which can sometimes be translated with "lekker belangrijk!" or "boeien!". Watch this funny video of a sketch with Lauren talking to her friends about Beyonce :-)

360. Daar heb ik geen kaas van gegeten

I don't know how that works [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase has a really Dutch taste to it, because the literal translation would be: "I didn't eat any cheese of that." The phrase can be used in all persons, singular and plural. It says that you are far from knowledgeable or proficient in a certain subject area, or simply do not know how things work. The word "daar" can also be replaced with the matter that is not understood, see the examples.

Examples:
- "Hoe kan ik in Windows Vista de tijd instellen? - Sorry, van computers heb ik geen kaas gegeten."
("How can I set the time in Windows Vista? - Sorry, I don't know how computers work / anything about computers.")

- "Frank heeft duidelijk geen kaas gegeten van Powerpoint...zijn presentatie was verschrikkelijk vanochtend..."
("Frank clearly doesn't how Powerpoint works...his presentation was terrible this morning...")

- "Heb jij kaas gegeten van het strafrechtelijk systeem in Iran?" - "Helaas nee, daarvoor moet je bij Rosalie zijn."
("Do you know how the judicial system in Iran works?" - "Unfortunately no, you should see Rosalie for that." Lit.: "...you must be at/with Rosalie for that.")

Related words:
- "Snappen": to get, to understand.
- "Begrijpen": to understand.

355. Op die fiets!

Like that / In that way [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase has already appeared in one of our early DWOTDs: "Fiets". Literally translated with "On that bike", this phrase does not really make a lot of sense. We don't know exactly how and when this expression was introduced into the Dutch language, but some 25 years ago it wasn't there yet.

"Op die fiets" is used to express your understanding following a previous (explanatory) statement, explaining something you didn't understand (fully) at first, see the examples.

Examples:
- "Hoe werkt dit? - Nou, als je op deze knop drukt, begint de muziek te spelen. - Ah, op die fiets!"
("How does this work? - Well, if you press this button, the music starts to play. - Ah, like that!")

- "Je kunt je aanmelden voor de Dutch Word Of The Day mailinglijst door een mailtje te sturen naar dwotd@dwotd.nl, met onderwerp "yes". - Okee, op die fiets..."
("You can subscribe to the Dutch Word Of The Day mailing list by sending an e-mail to dwotd@dwotd.nl, with subject "yes". - Okay, in that way...")

Related words:
- "Fiets": bike, bicycle.

350. Eén keer nooit meer!

Once but never again! / One time only! [Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally "One time, never again" this informal expression implies that the experience was bad or disappointing and you have no intention to go through that again voluntarily. Therefore it is a bit stronger than just a 'one time affair'.

You will also hear the (more formal) expression "Eens, maar nooit weer", which has the same meaning.

Examples:
- "Ik ben vanochtend met de tram naar het werk gegaan. Eén keer nooit meer, wat een plebs!"
("I took the tram to work this morning. Never again I say, what plebs!")

- "Ik heb laatst meegedaan aan speed-daten. Nou, één keer nooit meer, want dat werkt dus echt niet!"
("I have recently participated in speed dating. Well that was a one time affair, because it really doesn't work!")

- "En ben je nog koffie wezen drinken in the Amsterdam American Hotel?" - "Ja, en het was één keer nooit meer, wat een afzetters!"
("And, did you have coffee in the Amsterdam American Hotel?" - "Yes and I will never go back, what a rip-off!" Mind that "afzetten" is the verb for "serious overcharging" for something (goods or service). The use of the verb "wezen" indicates an activity (a longer period of time).)

345. Niet te doen

impossible, tough, very unpleasant [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase is used when things are difficult or almost impossible to accomplish or when a situation is tough in general. And this can be anything, from lousy weather to climbing the Mount Everest and from boring presentations to difficult exams. You can use it as part of a sentence but also on its own.

The translation is a bit difficult to give, it depends a lot on the context. Literally it says: "not to be done" or "not doable".

Examples:
- "Het was niet te doen in de stad vanmiddag, veel te druk!"
("It was very unpleasant in the city centre this afternoon, way too crowded!")

- "Door een ongeval op de A13 was het voor veel automobilisten vanochtend niet te doen om Den Haag te bereiken."
("For many drivers it was almost impossible to reach the Hague this morning, due to an accident on the A13.")

- "Het was niet te doen om mijn fiets te reparen, ik heb niet het juiste gereedschap."
("It was impossible to repair my bicycle, I don't have the proper tools.")

- "Ik vond het examen echt niet te doen, belachelijk gewoon!"
("I though the exam was too tough, just ridiculous!")

- "De presentatie van de directeur was zo saai, het was gewoon niet te doen, ik ben in slaap gevallen!"
("The managing director's briefing was so boring, I just couldn't handle it, I fell asleep!")

340. Dat is het hele eieren eten!

And that's all there is to it! / That's how it's done! [Dutch phrase of the week]

You can use this phrase to conclude your explanation of how something is done. Usually it implies that it is not all that difficult.

Literally the expression "Dat is het hele eieren eten" translates to "That is the whole egg eating". Weird people the Dutch, are they not?

Examples:
- "Je neemt de tram naar CS, de trein naar Schiphol, je checkt in bij balie 16 en dan direct door naar de paspoortcontrole; dat is het hele eieren eten!"
("You take the tram to central station, then the train to Schiphol, you check in at row 16 and then straight to passport control; that's all there is to it!")

- "Luister mamma, je doet eerst Control-Alt-Delete, dan selecteer je 'Taakbeheer' en dan stop je gewoon het proces! Echt, dat is het hele eieren eten!"
("Listen mom, you first do Control-Alt-Delete, then you select 'Task manager' and then you just stop the process! Really, that's all there is to it!")

336. Het moet niet gekker worden

This is ridiculous / This is over the top / That's the limit / This has to stop ... [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase is a bit difficult to translate. Literally it says: "It must not get any crazier", where "gek" translates to "crazy" or "weird". The Dutch use it to express indignation or disbelief in response to hearing something that is just not right (in the opinion of the speaker) or beyond what can be reasonably (morally, ethically) expected.

Examples:
- "De prijs van de strippenkaart is weer verhoogd, het moet niet gekker worden!"
("The price of the "strippenkaart" has increased again, this has to stop!")

- "Heb je gehoord dat het niet meer is toegestaan om in de horeca te roken? Het moet niet gekker worden!"
("Have you heard that it is no longer allowed to smoke in bars/pubs and restaurants? That's over the top!" Hear the word "horeca" is an abbreviation for "hotel, restaurant & café" and is commonly used to denote that branch.)

- "Het moet niet gekker worden met de files in Nederland, dit kost kapitalen!"
("The issue with the traffic jams in the Netherlands just has to be solved, this is costing a fortune!")

321. Ik ben niet op mijn achterhoofd gevallen

I wasn't born yesterday [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Achterhoofd" is composed of "achter" and "hoofd", which respectively translate to "behind" and "head". Hence, this phrase literally translates to "I haven't fallen on the back of my head". It is used to say that you are not ignorant, dumb or stupid.

Examples:
- "Probeer je me te bedriegen, makker? Ik ben toch niet op mijn achterhoofd gevallen!"
("Are you trying to cheat on me, pal? I wasn't born yesterday, you know!" Note that "toch" is translated with "you know"; it expresses an implicit request for confirmation. In this case, "toch" could also be translated with "was I?" at the end of the sentence.)

- "Laat je niet afleiden door zijn/haar uiterlijk, hij/zij is zeker niet op zijn achterhoofd gevallen."
("Don't let yourself be distracted by his/her looks, he/she certainly wasn't born yesterday.")

- "Ja, ik ga echt geen 2,40 betalen voor een biertje, ik ben niet op mijn achterhoofd gevallen!"
("Yeah right, no way I'm going to pay 2.40 Euro for a beer, do they think I'm stupid or what!" Unfortunately, in more and more places in The Hague, a beer costs 2,40 Euro!)

316. Als het gaat om

When it comes to / regarding / concerning [Dutch Phrase Of The Week]

This phrase is a very popular way among politicians to introduce a subject. It's also a good manipulative technique that allows you to give an answer while implicitly changing the question. Especially Dutch prime minister Balkenende seems very fond of this phrase...

Examples:
- "Als het gaat om veiligheid en comfort, dan is deze auto de juiste keuze voor u."
("When it comes to safety and comfort, this car is the right choice for you.")

- "Als het gaat om normen en waarden, zal deze regering haar steentje bijdragen."
("Regarding moral values, this government will do its bit." Lit.: "Regarding norms and values, this government will contribute its little stone." See Extra for more on "normen en waarden".)

- "Meneer Balkenende, wat vindt u van de verhoging van het collegeld?" - "Als het gaat om verbetering van de economische positie van ons land, is verhoging van de kwaliteit van het onderwijs noodzakelijk."
("Mister Balkenende, what do you think of the increase of college tuition fees?" - "If we consider the economical position of our country, increasing the quality of education is necessary.")

- "Als het gaat om lekker dineren in een vriendelijke sfeer, dan zit u goed bij restaurant Tartufo."
("When it comes to pleasant dining in a friendly atmosphere, then Tartufo's is the right place." Note: "goed zitten" literally translates to "to sit well/comfortably", but it also used as an expression meaning "to be right".)

- "Als het gaat om alles wat je lief hebt , wie kun je dan vertrouwen?"
("When it comes to all that you love, who can you trust?" Line from the classic Dutch pop song "Vriendschap" by the Dutch 80s band "Het goede doel".)

Extra:
"Normen en waarden" is frequently used in Dutch politics and media as one single concept. In general "normen en waarden" stands for manners and moral principles that should be used in public, social, inter-human traffic. The concept of "normen en waarden" was first introduced in Dutch politics in July 2002 by the first government led by prime minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, in that time often mockingly called "Harry Potter". Since then, a public debate has started (and is still going on), and "normen en waarden" is seen as an important political subject.

On a personal Guru note: the whole "normen and waarden" debate has a bit of a patronizing feel to it...

311. Zo kan-ie wel weer

That's enough now [Dutch Phrase Of The Week]

"Zo kan-ie wel weer" is used if one wants to make a stop to what's been/being said or done by someone else. The phrase is used direcly towards that other person, and its use is mostly informal. The phrase is sometimes followed by "met" to link to the subject that should be made a stop to, commonly translated with "of", see the first example.

Examples:
- "Zo kan-ie wel weer met die vieze praat van je!"
("That's enough of that dirty talk of yours now!")

- "Zo kan-ie wel weer, jonge dame! Je hebt genoeg limonade gehad."
("That's enough of that lemonade, young lady! You've had plenty." Lit.: "That's enough, young lady! You've had enough lemonade.")

306. Zo is het maar net

And that's the way it is [Dutch Phrase Of The Week]

"Zo is het maar net" is an expression that can be used to confirm what has been said/stated before, often a profundity, but basically anything you agree with. A more literal translation would be "It's just like that" or "That's just how it is."

Examples:
- "En zo is het maar net! Ik geef je groot gelijk!"
("And that's the way it is! You are absolutely right (in doing so)!" Literally: "I give you great right...")

- "Als je goed je tanden poetst, heb je minder kans op gaatjes! - Zo is het maar net!"
("If you brush your teeth properly, this will reduce the chance of cavities! - And that's the way it is!")

- "Het leven is een stuk leuker als je lacht! - Zo is het maar net!"
("Life is a lot more fun if you smile! - And that's the way it is!")

- "Zoals het klokje thuis tikt, tikt het nergens! - Zo is het maar net!"
("There's no place like home! - And that's the way it is!" Lit.: "The way the little clock ticks at home, it ticks nowhere.")

301. Van heb ik jou daar

of formidable size, huge, very big/large [Dutch Phrase Of The Week]

"Van heb ik jou daar" literally translates to "from I've got you there", which does not make any sense really...:-) You could say that "van heb ik jou daar" - as a whole - has the function of an adjective, used behind the noun. Its use is mostly informal.

Examples:
- "Ik stond vanochtend in een file van heb ik jou daar! Minstens 10 km..."
("This morning I was in a huge traffic-jam! At least 10 km..." Lit. "I was standing in...")

- "Leuk feestje zaterdag! Ik had zondag een kater van heb ik jou daar..."
("Nice party Saturday! I had a very big hangover on Sunday...")

- "Ach man, het was een gedoe van heb ik jou daar!"
("Man, it was a huge fuss!")

297. Zeg maar

let's say / like [Dutch phrase of the week]

The use of "zeg maar" is a bit of a plague in the Dutch language. Many people use it constantly as a filler. Being a filler, "zeg maar" doesn't really mean anything. In fact, one could argue that it only shows that people who use it, are not really sure of what they're saying, or are only just babbling on.

"Zeg maar" is used by people of all ages in any kind of setting, informal and at the office, even during presentations. Dutch Guru Marc has colleagues that use "zeg maar" almost every other word...

There's no literal translation of "zeg maar", it is best translated with "let's say". Literal translation of "let's say" is "laten we zeggen", which is also often used as a bit of a more formal filler, but not as often as "zeg maar".

When young people use "zeg maar", we think the best translation would be "like", as in: "You know, it's, like, you know, like I don't know what to say, like, you know..." :-)

Examples:
- "Als ik naar dat schilderij kijk, krijg ik een warm gevoel, zeg maar."
("When I look at that painting, I get like a warm feeling.")

- "Snap je, zeg maar, wat ik bedoel?"
("Do you understand, like, what I mean?")

- "Als je na een hete sauna een koud bad neemt, is het, zeg maar, alsof je even niet kunt ademen."
("When you take a cold bath after a hot sauna, it's - let's say - as if you cannot breathe for a moment.")

Related expressions:
- "Laten we zeggen": (lit.) let's say.
- "Weet je": you know.

Related word:
- "Stopwoord": filler. Literally "stop word". You also often hear 'stopwoordje'.

292. Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat...

It can't possibly be the case that... [Dutch phrase of the week]

The word "toch" is used as an implicit request for confirmation, but the phrase can be put both as a question or a statement. In case of the first we could choose to add "right?" or "is it now?" to the end of the above translation.

This is a popular phrase that people use - either consciously or out of habit - in order to substantiate a claim, or express wonder. In case of the first it is nothing more than a manipulative technique to set the mind of the receiver: well, if this can't possibly be the case, then this person must be right! For this reason it is a popular phrase for politicians to use :-)

Examples:
- "Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat het standpunt dat hier geuit wordt, gesteund wordt door de meerderheid van de kamer?"
("It can't possibly be the case that the point of view that is expressed here, will be supported by the majority of the House of Commons/Representatives, can it now?" Here "kamer" is short for the Dutch "Tweede Kamer".)

- "Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat in onze maatschappij dit soort excessen worden getolereerd!"
("It can't possibly be the case that in our society these kind of excesses are tolerated!")

- "Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat je als burger zomaar wordt afgeluisterd!"
("It can't possibly be the case that civilians are eavesdropped, just like that!" Literally "...that as a citizen one is eavesdropped...")

- "Het kan toch niet zo zijn dat twee volkeren elkaar uitmoorden en de rest van de wereld slechts toekijkt?"
("It can't possibly be the case that two peoples massacre each other and the rest of the world just watches, right?")

Dutch Phrase of the Week!

Hallo allemaal!

As you all have noticed, the Dutch language is more than just a bunch of words in random order :-)
With every word we try to provide you with useful sentences and expressions to illustrate the usage, or to enrich your everyday idiom.

It turns out that the Dutch language is rich with expressions or typical phrases that can't always be matched to a word. In order to give you the opportunity to learn such phrases we introduce the "Dutch Phrase of the Week". This can be a phrase, saying, proverb or expression, of which we think that you should know how to use it. We might repeat expressions we have used before to make them stick.

The idea is for us to provide you with one on Monday, and for you to practise it during the week!

Have fun,
Sander and Marc