Author Archives: Dutch Gurus

309. Noodweer

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1. self-defence / self-defense [noun] [de noodweer, <no plural>] [‘nood-weer’]

"Noodweer" is composed of "nood" and "weer". "Nood" translates to "distress", and – in this context – "weer" comes from the verb "weren": "to keep off/away, to fight back", hence the overall translation: "self-defence".

Mind that "noodweer" is a bit of a legal term. The common word for self-defence would be "zelfverdediging".

Example:
– "De rechter heeft bepaald dat de winkelier uit noodweer handelde, toen hij de overvaller met een knuppel neersloeg."
("The judge has determined that the shopkeeper acted in self-defence, when he struck the robber down with a club/stick.")

Related word:
"Zelfverdediging": self-defence.

2. heavy weather, storm [noun] [het noodweer, <no plural>] [‘nood-weer’]

Note that the article changes: here one says "het noodweer" as opposed to "de noodweer" in the first translation. The translation of nood in this context stays the same: "distress". "Weer" though translates to "weather" in this case.

Example:
– "Het noodweer van vannacht heeft veel schade veroorzaakt."
("The heavy weather from last night has caused a lot of damage.")

Snor

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moustache/mustache [noun] [de snor, de snorren] [‘snor‘]

Ek_voetbal_1988
This morning in the popular Dutch radio show “Evers staat op” (Evers rises/gets up) hosted by the DJ Edwin Evers, one joked about the Dutch football/soccer team not being very convincing and that maybe they should start growing moustaches. Why? Well, in 1988 the Dutch won the European football/soccer championship and obviously this was because 8 out of the 11 players had a moustache!

Examples:
– “Persoonlijk vind ik een snor geen gezicht. Ik ben blij dat mijn vriend er geen heeft!”
(“Personally I think that a moustache is hideous. I’m happy that my boyfriend doesn’t have one!” Literally: “… think a moustache is no sight.”)

– “Moet je niet eens tegen je vader zeggen dat een snor echt niet meer kan in deze tijd?”
(“Shouldn’t you tell your father that a moustache is really old-fashioned?” Literally: “… that a moustache really is not possible anymore in this age?”)

Expressions:
– “Dat zit wel snor!”: That’s fine / all right. You can use this for example when you want to say that things will be all right or that you will be fine.

Example:
– “Sander, zal je dit jaar alle deadlines halen?” – “O, dat zit wel snor, maak je geen zorgen!”
(“Sander, will you meet all deadlines this year?” – “Oh, that will be fine, don’t worry!”)

– “Zijn snor drukken”: to shirk/make oneself scarce, to weasel out.

Example:
– “Er was vanochtend een belangrijke vergadering, maar wederom had Frank zijn snor gedrukt.”
(“There was an important meeting this morning, but once again Frank weaseled out.”)

Related words:
– “Baard“: beard.
– “Snorharen”: whiskers.
– “Hitlersnorretje”: used to describe the typical small moustache, like the one Adolf Hitler used to have.
– “Bromsnor”: synonym for a policeman. See Extra below.
Snorfiets_1
– “Snorfiets“: this looks like a “bromfiets” (moped) but its maximum speed is lower (30 km/h), a helmet is not required and one has to stay on the bike path. An orange marking on the front wheel mud guard is mandatory and is used by the police for recognition, as opposed to a yellow marking for a “bromfiets”. Here, “snor” is derived from the verb “snorren”: to whirr/buzz/zoom, making less sound than “brommen”: to drone/hum.

Spartamet

While we are on the topic, another version is the motorized bicycle, aimed at senior people who might need some help at times. This is usually referred to as a “spartamet“, similar to a popular brand name. A “spartamet”, too, has to show the orange marking.

 

Extra:
“Swiebertje” is the name of a classic Dutch tv-series that ran from the end of the 50s till mid-70s. It showed the adventures of a tramp called “Swiebertje”. One of the main characters was the rural policeman/constable called “Bromsnor”. He had a moustache and the verb “brommen” is an informal synonym for “to grumble”. Due to the popularity of the series the word “bromsnor” became an informal synonym for a policeman. It is not used a lot though, but you might hear it!

307. Vaag

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vague, unclear, indefinite [adjective/adverb] [‘vaag‘]

The use of "vaag" is similar to the English "vague". In informal speech, however, you might hear "vaag" being used when the Dutch express they find something, well, vague, strange or unclear! See the Examples.

Examples:
– "Heb je gehoord dat Frank zomaar ontslagen is?" – "Echt? Vaag!!"
("Did you hear about Frank being fired just like that?" – "Really? Weird/bizar!!")

– "Hoe is nu de situatie met je ex?" – "Nou, nog steeds een beetje vaag…"
("So how is the current situation with your ex?" – "Well, still a bit indefinite…")

– "Ik kan me vaag herinneren dat we vandaag een afspraak hadden, maar ik weet het dus niet zeker!"
("I can vaguely remember that we have an appointment today, but I’m clearly not sure!" Be sure not to use "afspraakje" when you mean an "afspraak"!)

– "Hoe was je examen?" – "Nou, ik vond de vragen nogal vaag!"
("How did your exam go?" – "Well, I thought the questions were rather vague.")

Expressions:
– "Een vaag vermoeden hebben dat…": To have a sneaking suspicion that…
– "In een vaag verleden…": A long time ago… So long ago that you only vaguely remember… Literally: "in a vague past…"

Example:
– "In een vaag verleden heb ik wel eens gesquasht…"
("A long time ago I used to play squash now and then…")

Related words:
– "Duidelijk": clear.
– "Wazig": vague, blurry.

Zo is het maar net

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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.”)

Buikspreker

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ventriloquist [noun] [de buikspreker, de buiksprekers] [‘buik-spree-kur’]

We admit that you will probably not use this word much, but the separate words “buik” and “spreker” are very common. A “spreker” is somebody who speaks, and is derived from the verb “spreken”: to speak, to talk. In general the word “spreker” is used for a lecturer, or an inivited speaker. A “buik” is a “belly” so a “buikspreker” is a “belly talker”, which in a way makes sense 🙂

Examples:
– “Vroeger had ik maar één droom: buikspreker worden!”
(“I used to have just one dream: to become a ventriloquist!”)

– “Wanneer heb jij voor het laatst een buikspreker zien optreden? Volgens mij zijn ze vrij zeldzaam.”
(“When was the last time you saw a ventriloquist perform? I think they are quite rare.” Literally: “According to me they are quite rare”.)

Related words:
– “Maag”: stomach.
– “Spreken”: to speak, to lecture.

Extra:
Check out this funny ventriloquist performance: Achmed the dead terrorist. The first few minutes are the best!