Dutch Sayings and Idioms: 20 Gems and Their Meanings
Dutch sayings are some of the most gloriously literal in Europe, full of monkeys in sleeves, baked pears and raining pipe stems. Translated word for word they sound absurd, but each one carries a meaning the Dutch use every day. Below is a growing collection, translated literally and explained, that we add to regularly, so it is worth bookmarking. If they spark your curiosity, pair them with our list of untranslatable Dutch words and our guide to learning Dutch.
Dutch sayings with animals in them
Nu komt de aap uit de mouw. Literally “now the monkey comes out of the sleeve.” The hidden truth or real motive finally reveals itself, usually after someone has been quietly concealing it.
De kat uit de boom kijken. Literally “to look the cat out of the tree.” To hold back and wait to see how a situation develops before you commit yourself to anything.
Als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen op tafel. Literally “when the cat is away from the house, the mice dance on the table.” The Dutch cousin of “when the cat’s away, the mice will play.”
Twee vliegen in één klap slaan. Literally “to hit two flies in one blow.” Exactly the same idea as killing two birds with one stone, just rather more direct about it.
Sayings about food, of which the Dutch have many
Helaas, pindakaas. Literally “too bad, peanut butter.” A cheerful, rhyming shrug that means roughly “oh well, never mind,” used when something has not worked out.
Iets voor een appel en een ei kopen. Literally “to buy something for an apple and an egg.” To get it for next to nothing, an absolute steal.
Ergens geen kaas van gegeten hebben. Literally “to have eaten no cheese of something.” To know absolutely nothing about a subject.
Met de gebakken peren zitten. Literally “to be stuck with the baked pears.” To be left dealing with the unpleasant consequences of something, often someone else’s mess.
Dat zal mij worst wezen. Literally “that will be sausage to me.” A blunt way of saying you could not care less.
Het loopt in de soep. Literally “it runs into the soup.” It all goes wrong, or falls apart at the last moment.
Sayings about weather and guesswork
Het regent pijpenstelen. Literally “it’s raining pipe stems.” It is absolutely pouring, the Dutch take on raining cats and dogs.
Het is koffiedik kijken. Literally “it’s reading the coffee grounds.” It is pure guesswork, with no real way to predict the outcome.
Sayings full of everyday wisdom
Met de deur in huis vallen. Literally “to fall into the house with the door.” To get straight to the point with no polite preamble, which the Dutch rather admire.
Iets onder de knie hebben. Literally “to have something under the knee.” To have properly mastered a skill.
De kogel is door de kerk. Literally “the bullet is through the church.” A long and difficult decision has finally been made.
Op hete kolen zitten. Literally “to sit on hot coals.” To be on tenterhooks, anxiously waiting for something to happen.
Wie boter op zijn hoofd heeft, moet uit de zon blijven. Literally “he who has butter on his head should stay out of the sun.” Do not criticise others for a fault you are guilty of yourself.
Lood om oud ijzer. Literally “lead for old iron.” It makes no real difference either way, six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Stank voor dank. Literally “stink for thanks.” Getting ingratitude in return for doing someone a good turn.
Nu hebben we de poppen aan het dansen. Literally “now we’ve got the dolls dancing.” Now the real trouble starts.
These are the kind of phrases that make Dutch worth learning for the imagery alone. Drop one into conversation at the right moment and you will get a delighted look from any Dutch person nearby. We keep adding to this collection, so check back for new ones.
