DWOTD Fluitconcert
Author Archives: Dutch Gurus
Slagroom
whipped cream [noun] [de slagroom, no plural] 
"Slagroom" is composed of "slag" and "room", which translated to "whip/strike/hit" and "cream" respectively. 
Examples:
– "Wilt u slagroom op uw appeltaart?"
("Would you like to have whipped cream on your apple pie?")
– "Heb je zin in warme chocolade(melk)? Zo ja, met of zonder slagroom?"
("Would you like to have some hot chocolate? If yes, with or without whipped cream?")
– "Marc, zal ik de slagroom even halen?…" – "Oelalaaa…jaaaa…"
("Marc, shall I go and get the wipped cream?…" – "Ou la laaaa…yesssss…")
– "Die sjaal maakt het helemaal af! Het is de slagroom op de taart!"
("That scarf just finishes it! It’s the icing on the cake!" See also Expressions.)
Expression:
– "De slagroom op de taart": the icing on the cake. You may also hear "de kers op de taart": the cherry on top.
Related words:
– Melk: milk [noun] [de melk, no plural].
– Zuivel: dairy [noun] [de zuivel, no plural].
– Slaan: to hit [verb] [sloeg, geslagen].
– Slag: hit, strike, whip [noun] [de slag, de slagen].
– Room: cream [noun] [de room, no plural].
Extra:
A very popular cake in the Netherlands is the "slagroomtaart". Perhaps it is even the default cake for birthdays. That’s why it has the nickname "de taart der taarten": ‘the cake of all cakes’, which by the way is also an example of the rare usage of the genitive case in Dutch. Go wild and make your own "slagroomtaart" following this site’s recipes.
Lekkerbek
deep-fried cod, epicure [noun] [de lekkerbek, de lekkerbekken]
"Lekkerbek" consists of "lekker", which means good (as in "tasty") and "bek", which means "beak" (for a bird) or "mouth". "Bek" is mostly used informally or in a vulgar way, check out the example with the Related words.
"Lekkerbek" is the popular name for codfish wrapped in dough and deep-fried, but is also used for someone who really appreciates food. The Dutch word for codfish is "kabeljauw".
Examples:
– "In Scheveningen kun je het hele jaar door lekkerbekken eten."
("You can eat codfish warpped in dough all year long in Scheveningen.")
– "Hij is een echte lekkerbek, hij eet het liefst de hele dag."
("He is a real epicure, he prefers eating all day long".)
Related words:
– Lekker: good [adjective/adverb].
Example:
– "Het eten in dat Thaise restaurant is superlekker."
("The food in that Thai restaurant is outstanding.")
– Bek: beak [noun] [de bek, de bekken].
Example:
– "Ik word helemaal gek van je; houd je bek!"
("You’re
driving me nuts; shut up!" Please note this is a rude way of asking
someone to keep quiet. Parents tell their children to shut up in a
slightly more polite way: "houd je mond!", meaning "shut your mouth!")
– Mond: mouth [noun] [de mond, de monden].
Extra:
Please note that "lekker" can be
used for almost everything: food, drinks, weather, people, how you
feel, etc. Since the use of "lekker" is so diverse, we’ll devote a separate
DWOTD to it. Check the DWOTD "Lekker belangrijk" to get started.
Niks
nothing [indefinite pronoun]
"Niks" means "nothing" (or "not […] anything"). A synonym for
"niks" is "niets". Its antonym is found easily by omitting the ‘n’:
"iets" means "something". "Niks" on the other hand does not have a
similar antonym ("iks" does not exist).
Examples:
– "Ik snap er niks van hoe Dubai maar blijft groeien en groeien."
("I don’t understand how Dubai just keeps on growing and growing.")
– "Is er iets, je bent zo stil?" – "Nee, (er is) niks / er is niks aan de hand." 
("Is something wrong, you are so quiet?" "No, (there’s) nothing".)
– "<Tegel rechts:> Als je niks te doen hebt, doe het dan niet hier."
("<Tile on the right:> If you don’t have anything to do, then don’t do it here.")
– "Ik ben al 3 maanden een baan aan het zoeken maar heb nog steeds niks gevonden."
("I have been looking for a job for three months now and I still haven’t found anything.")
– "Waarom neem je die baan in Muscat niet? Je hebt niks te verliezen!"
("Why don’t you take that job in Muscat? You have nothing to lose!")
Expressions:
– "Niks mee te maken!": that’s not relevant at all!
Example:
– "Sorry dat ik je verjaardagsdiner vergeten ben maar ik had het echt heel druk." – "Niks mee te maken!"
("Sorry I forgot your birthday-diner but I was really busy." "That’s not relevant at all!")
– "Voor niks gaat de zon op": everything has a cost (Lit.: For nothing rises the sun).
Example:
– "Het was te goed om waar te zijn, en inderdaad: voor niks gaat de zon op."
("It was too good to true, and indeed: everything has a cost.")
Related words:
– Niets: nothing [adverb].
– Iets: something [adverb].
Weet ik veel!
I don’t know! / How should I know? [Dutch phrase of the week]
“Weet ik veel” is a phrase that is used a lot by youth in the sense of “I don’t care”, “I don’t know” , or “how am I supposed to know”. Literally, it can be translated by “do I know a lot” or ” I know a lot”. Most people use it when they are getting a little bit annoyed by an event of a question. It’s quite an informal expression so don’t use it to your boss or people you don’t know very well.
Examples:
– “<Leraar:> Hoe schrijf je jouw naam in het Arabisch?” “<Leerling:> Weet ik veel!”
(“<Teacher:> How do you write your name in Arabic?” “<Student:> How am I supposed to know?” )
– “Wil je dat McCain wint of ben je voor Obama? ” Weet ik veel, ik weet niks van politiek.”
(“Do you want McCain to win or are you in favour of Obama?” “I don’t know, I don’t know anything about politics.” Lit. “…, I know nothing of politics.”)
– “Hij zegt dat ik het geheugen van de computer moet vergroten maar weet ik veel hoe dat moet!”
(“He tells me to increase the computer’s memory but how should I know how to do that!”)
– “Weet ik veel hoeveel vitaminen ik moet eten op een dag, ik ben toch geen dokter!”
(“How should I know how many vitamins I should eat every day, I’m not a doctor, am I!”)
Related words:
– Weten: to know [verb] [knew, known].
– Veel: much, a lot [adverb/adjective].
– Weinig: little, not a lot [adverb/adjective].
– Niks: nothing [adverb].