14 Dutch idioms
This list of Dutch idioms was shared with me from social media. I’ve no idea who wrote the original.
1. The Dutch don’t wake up in a bad mood…they ‘step out of bed with the wrong leg’ (Met het verkeerde been uit bed gestapt).
2. Dutch don’t only feel great…they feel ‘Chickendelicious’ (Kiplekker).
3. The Dutch don’t order a cup of coffee…they order ‘a little cup of solace’ (Een bakje troost).
4. Dutch people don’t get goosebumps when they are cold…they get ‘chickenskin’ (Kippenvel).
5. A Dutch person does not spend too much time on details…they’re ‘someone who copulates with ants’ (Mierenneuker).
6. The Dutch won’t tell someone to get lost…they’ll ‘glue somebody behind the wallpaper’ (iemand achter het behang kunnen plakken).
7. The Dutch don’t walk…they ‘“use the leg-van’ (Met de benenwagen).
8. The Dutch are not pale-skinned…they are a ‘pale fart’ (Bleekscheet).
9. The Dutch don’t find things easy…rather it’s ‘a whistle of a cent!’ (Een fluitje van een cent).
10. The Dutch don’t have a misfit in a group…they have ‘a small outside leg’ (Buitenbeentje).
11. The Dutch don’t have a lack of clarity…they ‘can’t knot any rope to it’ (Er geen touw aan vast kunnen knopen).
12. The Dutch won’t say “It’s okay”…they’ll assure you “It sits like a moustache” (Het zit wel snor).
13. The Dutch don’t have hindsight…they’ll say “after it is easier to look the cow in the ass!” (Achteraf kijk je een koe in z’n kont!).
14. They also don’t have clarity…they’ll say “the monkey is coming out of the sleeve” (Nu komt de aap uit de mouw).