Expression USED On Occasion BY Parents
(second batch) • Used to describe the children that come much later than their older siblings.
“Thomas en Rosalie studeren nu, en Maya is van de tweede leg, die zit nog op de middelbare school”
“Thomas and Rosalie are both in university, and Maya is from the second batch, she is still in high school”
Word USED On Occasion BY Some People
(noun) • (life enjoyer) • Someone who knows how to have a good time.
“Jij bent wel echt een levensgenieter, hé?”
“You are a real life enjoyer, aren’t you?”
Expression USED On Occasion BY Most People
(to be hit with stupidity) • To be flabbergasted, but usually in a bad way.
"Ik was met stomheid geslagen toen ik erachter kwam."
"I was hit with stupidity when I found out."
Submitted May 2021 by amarens
Word USED On Rare Occasion BY people who care about climate change
(n.) • (petrol shame) • When you travel by car or plane while knowing it is bad for the environment.
"Met de dalende prijzen van de trein en benzineschaamte nemen steeds minder mensen de auto op vakantie"
"With descending prices for trains and petrol shame, less people are taking the car on vacation."
Standard Phrase USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(jump high or low) • When there is nothing you can do to change something about a situation.
"Je kunt hoog of laag springen, ik ga mijn mening niet veranderen."
"You can jump high or low, but I'm not going to change my mind."
Word USED Frequently BY Everyone
(v.) • A verb used for a feeling that is somewhere between being bummed and upset and feeling frustrated, usually about a situation that can not be changed.
"Ik baal er nog steeds van dat mijn bruiloft niet door kon gaan in verband met Corona."
"I am still bummed/frustrated that my wedding couldn't go through because of Corona."
Word USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(n.) • An ability to put things into perspective, which happens to be an important quality to have in Dutch culture.
"Het is belangrijk om een beetje relativeringsvermogen te hebben."
"It's important to have 'relativeringvermogen'"
Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(to mop with the tap open) • It means to do something without having any chance on succes, or starting something you can’t finish.
"Het bestrijden van drugs is dweilen met de kraan open."
"The battle against drugs is mopping with the tap open."
Submitted March 2021 by anonymous
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People
(neither meat nor fish) • When something or someone is neither one nor the other, doesn’t belong to anything specific.
“Deze publicatie is vlees nog vis, is het dagboek of een autobiografie? “
"This publication is neither meat nor fish, is it a dairy or an autobiography?"
Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People
(party of recognition) • An experience that is enjoyable because it evokes a feeling of recognition.
"Ik vond vorige week al mijn oude LP's. Ik heb ze meteen opgezet, en het was echt een feest der herkenning."
"I found all my old LPs last week. I put them on immediately, and it was a real party of recognition."
Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone
(weak joke) • A bad joke.
"Jeetje, wat een flauwe grap."
"Geez, what a weak joke."
Word USED On Occasion BY Some People
(adjective) • When something is very full (as if it were about to explode).
"Mijn inbox is echt bomvol."
"My inbox is bomb full."
Word USED On Occasion BY Some People
(noun) • (stress chicken) • A stress-prone person, or someone who stresses a lot.
"Doe even rustig, je bent echt een stresskip."
"Calm down, you are such a stress chicken."
als Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen
Idiom USED On Occasion BY Some People
(when Easter and Pentecost fall on the same day) • Used to say that something will never happen.
"Mama, wanneer krijg ik een PlayStation?" "Als Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen."
"Mom, when do I get a PlayStation?" "When Easter and Pentecost fall on the same day."
Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(to find yourself on slippery ice) • To be in a situation where you have to be very careful, or else you will get into trouble.
"Let op je woorden, jongedame. Je begeeft je op glad ijs."
"Watch your language, young lady. You are on slippery ice."
Expression USED On Occasion BY Everybody
(little wood little rope) • When something is not really well put together, as if it were handcrafted from only wood and rope.
"Het achterlicht van de auto ging stuk, voor het moment heb ik het houtje touwtje gerepareerd"
"The backlight of my car was broke, for the moment I fixed it little wood little rope"
Expression USED Very frequently BY Everyone
(dirty weather) • When it is very rainy.
"Ik was van plan een stukje te gaan lopen, maar het is echt vies weer buiten."
"I was planning on taking a walk, but the weather outside is really dirty."
Expression USED On Occasion BY Most People
(far to seek) • When something is not present.
“De motivatie is weer ver te zoeken vandaag.”
“The motivation to study is far to seek today.”
Name USED On Occasion BY Some People
(n.) • (Farawayistan) • A proverbially obscure, far away country. Literally means 'farawayistan', and is used similar to Timbuktu or Outer Mongolia in English.
"Door de Coronacrisis kunnen we voorlopig verre reizen naar Verweggistan wel even vergeten."
"Because of the Corona crisis, we can forget about long journeys to Farawayistan for a while."
Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone
(seeing something through the fingers) • Allowing something when you shouldn't. It's about pretending not to see something, when you actually do see it: covering your eyes but actually looking through your fingers.
"Mark heeft zijn huiswerk niet gemaakt, maar ik zie het door de vingers omdat hij het al zo druk heeft."
"Mark didn't do his homework, but I'll see it through the fingers as he's already so busy."
