Jan met de pet 2 ['John with the cap'] 'the man in the street' also:  de gewone man 2 3 'the common man'
De opstand van de gewone mensen 2 3 4 The uprising, revolt of the common people (het) mispunt 2 3 unpleasant person
(de) minkukel a jerk
(de) oen 2 a stupid guy, a person who habitually acts in a stupid way
- hij is een oen he is stupid
(de) kwibus a weird, idiosyncratic person – 'n rare kwibus 2
(de) ongelikte beer 2 ['unlicked bear'] a rude person, no manners
(de) flapdrol [flopping turd] - a ridiculous person, male
Er zit geen brood in ['there [sits] is no bread in it'] - 'You can't make a living from it, it doesn't generate much income' Een goed begin is het halve werk 'A good start is half the work, with a good start you're already halfway the job' Goed gereedschap is het halve werk 2 good tools [are half the job] make a job much easier En klaar is Kees! ['... and Casey is done.'] - said when a job is done, a piece of work finished. Hij gooit er met de pet naar 2 3 ['He's throwing his cap at it'] - 'He's not making a serious effort' Op een laag pitje ['On a slow burner'] 'On the back burner' - something given low priority, not pursued vigorously De wind in de zeilen hebben 2 '[Having] Catching the wind in the sails, going full sail' - making good progress, doing well in business 't Gaat me voor de wind 2 'It's like I have the wind in my back' - I'm doing very well (in business) ... wat ik je brom 2 ['grumbling'] said after making a somewhat controversial statement, meaning 'it will turn out I was right about this' Daar kun je donder op zeggen! 2 3 It will be like that, Absolutely! (That statement is absolutely correct) De bliksem is zeker ingeslagen 2 3 'Lightning must have struck' - said when a traffic light takes long to change Ga toch fietsen! 2 3 4 ['go ride a bike!'] - usually an exclamation of frustration with someone, like 'I don't believe you, stop bothering me, go take a hike' 't Gaat me boven de pet 2 'It's over my [cap] head' - I don't understand it, it's too difficult for me, 'above my pay grade' Breek me de bek niet open '[Don't force open my mouth] Don't get me started, I don't want to talk about it.'
- But with a strong undertone that the speaker would have a lot of negative things to say about it. 't Is geen zuivere koffie 2 3 quick ['it's not pure coffee - there's something wrong with that coffee'] - 'there's something fishy going on' Er is niks aan te doen – Niks aan te doen! 2 3 ['Nothing can be done about it'] - 'It can't be helped' 't Komt niet zo nauw 2 'There is no need for much precision or strictness, there is a lot of leeway, a wide margin' Holland op z'n smalst 2 'Holland at its most narrow'
- in Dutch,  'Holland' 2 means only a part of the country of The Netherlands. (more.) Before the great land reclamations, there used to be a narrow strip of land North-West of Amsterdam connecting two parts of 'Holland.' Later, the expression came to mean 'Dutchmen in their most narrow-minded attitude.'
(de) kneuterigheid 'Dutch small-mindedness, pettiness'
Generally, 'small minded, petty' is kleinzielig
and  (de) kleinzieligheid is 'pettiness, small-mindedness'
- related: (de) betutteling 2 'bureacrats (or others in positions of power) treating people like children' Ik zag 't niet meer zitten ['I didn't see it sit anymore,' I didn't see things in place anymore] - I was depressed Hij zit aan de grond 2 3 ['he sits, is at the ground' - 'he's stuck at the lowest level'] - 'he's down and out' - out of options because no money Wat je ver haalt is lekker 2 ['What you get from far away tastes good'] 'Exotic food is always good' De beste stuurlui staan aan wal 'The best ship officers are on the shore'
It's easy to criticize from a distance, when you're not involved Beter een goede buur dan een verre vriend 2 'a good neighbor is more useful ' than a faraway friend' Ons koude kikkerland 2 3 'Our chilly frogs' country' - Holland: it's a wretched place but it's home Hij houdt z'n poot stijf ['he's keeping his paw stiff'] - 'he's not giving in' 't Ligt voor de hand literally: 'it's close at hand,' but it usually means 'it's obvious' Met de deur in huis vallen ['storming into the house, flattening the door'] - to come straight to the point, without delay or hesitation Gebed zonder end ['prayer without end'] something taking very long Zo oud als de weg naar Kralingen 2 3 ['As old as the road to Kralingen'] - old as the hills
An old saying that got a new life when the Dutch Woodstock was held in the village of
Kralingen (1970) Een sigaar uit eigen doos 2 3 ['A cigar from your own box'] - Something is presented as a gift, but it turns out you have to pay for it Een ongeluk zit in een klein hoekje ['an accident is in a small corner'] - accidents can happen anytime in unexpected places Je hebt geen kind aan hem 2 3 ['He won't be like a child (to you)'] - He's very easy, no trouble at all, doesn't need special care Dweilen met de kraan open 2 3 ['Mopping up while the faucet is running'] - doing something but not addressing the cause of the problem Met de Noorderzon vertrokken 2 [Departed at the North Sun hour] - 'Secretly disappeared at midnight' (leaving unfinished business and/or debts behind) We kunnen 't missen als kiespijn 2 3 We really don't need it, we can do without it like we can do without a toothache Het gaat de mist in 2 ['It fades into the fog'] A performance doesn't work out, ends weak - "fades" Er gaat er wel eens een de mist in 2 Occasionally, a song or a piece fails Geen wolkje aan de lucht 2 [Not a cloud in the sky] - No problems are expected Van de regen in de drup 2 3 4 ['From the rain into a drip'] - 'From the frying pan into the fire'- a move that didn't improve your already bad situation Dan houdt alles op 2 ['Then everything ends'] - 'It's no use continuing after that' - often said in reaction to a trivial remark, but with a mock sense of 'that changes everything' Iets over het hoofd zien 2 3 4 'to overlook something, fail to notice something' 'stuk' 2 3 'broken, defective'
't Kan niet meer stuk 3 4 [It cannot be broken anymore] - We've had so much fun already, we're having so much success that any setbacks won't matter 't Zekere voor 't onzekere nemen 2 3 '[to take the certain before the uncertain] - to stay on the safe side' - not taking risks Dat kan geen kwaad 2 3 ['That's not going to do damage'] - 'It's something that can be tried without risk, worth a try' De kinderen achter het behang plakken 'Pasting the children behind the wallpaper' - many an exasperated parent's occasional secret wish Dan moet je vroeger opstaan 2 3 'Then you'll have to get up earlier' - i.e. for that you'll have to be more alert and more active Hou je gemak! 2 3 [Remain at ease] - Don't get excited, 'keep your shirt on' De bakens verzetten 2 '[moving the beacons] - setting a new course' - figuratively: change to a new policy Het roer omgooien ['turning around the rudder'] - drastically changing course 't Over een andere boeg gooien 2 3 4 5 6 7 [to (throw) turn over to another bow = change your tack] - turning your ship in another direction, changing course - usually figuratively: a new course of action, adopting a new policy, changing the subject of a conversation Pappen en nathouden 2 3 ['Apply paste and keep wet'] - applying and maintaining a wound dressing
- keep going in adverse circumstances, persevering in a less than ideal situation - but not looking for a radical solution Alle gekheid op een stokje 2 (['All the silliness on a stick'] - 'joking aside,' now let's stop the joking and get down to business. Ik ben een beetje een huismus 2 ['I am somewhat a house sparrow'] - 'I don't get out much'
(de) huismus 2 "house sparrow"