Author Archives: Dutch Gurus

Snuiten

Posted on by

to blow one’s nose [verb] [snoot, gesnoten]

"Snuiten" is one of those Dutch verbs that can only be used in conjunction with a specific body part, in this case: the nose.

The noun "snuit" translates into "snout", an animal’s protruding nose-mouth combination. In case of birds, the word "snavel" is used: "bill" or "beak". (Parts of) Animals are often used in Dutch expressions to emphasize a human feature or characteristic, see also ‘Expressions’.

Examples:
1. "Als mijn collega z’n neus snuit, hoor je dat in de kamer ernaast."
("When my colleague blows his nose, it can be heard in the adjacent room.")

2. "Met z’n lange gevoelige snuit gaat de miereneter op zoek naar mieren." ("With his long sensitive snout, the ant-eater goes out to search for ants."

Expressions:
1. "Hou je snuit!"
("Shut up!". Literally: "Shut your snout!")

2. "Hou je snavel!"
("Shut up!" Literally: "Shut your bill/beak!")

3. "Hij is een rare snuiter!"
("He is a strange guy / weirdo!" Literally: "He is a strange noseblower!")

4. Equivalent to 3. : "Hij is een vreemde vogel!" (Literally: "He is a strange bird!")

5. "De nieuwe manager is echt een hippe vogel!"
("The new manager is really a fashionable/hip dude!" Literally: "The new manager is a really hip bird!")

Related words:
1. "Zakdoek": handkerchief (literally "sack cloth").
2. "(Papieren) zakdoekje": translates to "little paper handkerchief", not to be confused with "tissue", which translates to "tissue" :-), see ‘Extra’.

Extra:
What a "papieren zakdoekje" and a "tissue" have in common is that they both can be used for blowing one’s nose. The difference though between them is that "papieren zakdoekjes" are bought in a tightly folded thin plastic rectangular wrapper. This is called a "pakje zakdoekjes", usually sold in a multi-pack.
"Tissues" come in cardboard boxes, out of which they are pulled, unfolded, ready to use. "Papieren zakdoekjes" first need to be unfolded before use.
"Tissue" boxes are commonly placed in a room to be used by more than one person, e.g. in a psychiatrist’s office. A "pakje zakdoekjes" is more for personal use.

Snoep

Posted on by

candy, sweets [noun] [het snoep]

The word "snoep" is used for candy in general. When talking about a piece of candy, use the diminutive "snoepje".

Sometimes a young attractive woman might be called a "snoepje" by men, but that is a bit derogatory (like "eye candy").

You can turn "snoep" into a verb by adding -en. The verb "snoepen" translates to "eating candy".

Examples:
1. "Kinderen houden van snoep."
("Children/kids like candy.")

2. "Te veel snoepen is slecht voor je gebit."
("Eating too much candy is bad for your teeth." See 24. Tandpasta.)

Dutch slang: "ouwe snoeperd".
An "ouwe snoeperd" is an older man (near ‘elderly’ old) clearly checking out very young girls. "Snoeperd" is derived from "snoeper": one who eats candy.

Example:
"<verbaasd:> Moet je die ouwe snoeperd eens zien!"
(<amazed:> "Take a look at that ouwe snoeperd!")

Extra:
A well-known shop in the Netherlands to buy candy is ‘Jamin’. Find the store nearest to you in the Netherlands at:
www.jamin.nl/winkels.html

Blad

Posted on by

leaf, sheet, tray, magazine, newspaper [noun] [het blad, de bladen/bladeren; diminutive: blaadje]

In the meaning of ‘leaf’, the plural form ends in ‘-eren’ (just like the plural form of ‘ei’, see 22. Ei.
In all other meanings the plural ends in ‘-en’.

"Bladeren" is also a verb, meaning "to thumb, to leaf", e.g. "door een
boek bladeren" ("to thumb/leaf through a book").

In general the noun ‘blad’ is associated with flat shapes.

Examples:
1. "De veelheid aan kleuren van de bladeren in de herfst is prachtig!"
("In autumn, the multitude of coloured leaves is beautiful!")

2. "Bladmuziek": sheet music.

3. "Dienblad": (serving) tray.

4. "Ik ben op drie bladen geabonneerd."
("I am subscribed to three magazines.")

5. "Vandaag schrijven alle bladen over de uitslag van de verkiezingen."
("Today, all newspapers write about the election’s outcome.")

6. "Tafelblad": tabletop.

Expressions:
1. "Een blaadje bier": tray of beer.
"Na de wedstrijd nam de trainer voor de spelers een blaadje bier mee de kleedkamer in."
("After the match, the coach brought the players a tray of beer in the changing room.")

2. "Hij neemt geen blad voor de mond".
Translates to: "He really speaks out".

Bestek

Posted on by

cutlery [noun] [het bestek; ‘bu-stek’]

Examples of "bestek":
1. "Mes": knife.
2. "Vork": fork.
3. "Lepel": spoon.
4. "Theelepel(tje)": tea spoon.
5. "Dessertlepel": dessert spoon.
6. "Bij elke gang hoort nieuw bestek."
("Each course requires new cutlery." Also see 19. Gang.)

"Bestek" is also used to indicate a period of time (with reference):

Examples:
1. "Binnen dit tijdsbestek is het niet mogelijk."
("Within this timeframe it is not possible.")

2. "Binnen het bestek van 3 jaar wordt het project afgerond."
("In the space of 3 years the project will be finished.")

Fluitje

Posted on by

little whistle [noun, diminutive] [het fluitje, de fluitjes]

Although the word "fluitje" literally translates to "little whistle", it is also used to denote a certain type of beer glass. The shape of the glass is a slender, slightly curved cylinder with a volume of 0.2 liter. In the south of the Netherlands bars tend to use a "fluitje" as the standard beer glass, but in the "Randstad" (see ‘Extra’ below) it is more common to serve a bigger type of beer glass, see ‘Related words’.

Examples:
1. "Toen de spits werd getackled, blies de scheids onmiddellijk op zijn fluitje."
("When the forward (soccer player) was tackled, the referee immediately blew his (little) whistle.")

2. <in a bar> "Vier fluitjes alsjeblieft!"
("Four fluitjes please!")

3. "Hoe ging je wiskunde examen? Man, het was een fluitje van een cent!"
("How did your math exam go? Man, it was a piece of cake!"
Literally: it was a cent’s little whistle!" Also see "DWOTD (22): Ei" for an equivalent expression.)

Related words:
1. "Vaasje": literally "little vase", but more commonly used to denote another type of beer glass, larger than a "fluitje". Also known as "een randje" (a little edge, because it usually has a thin golden line on the top edge), or "een Amsterdammertje" ("a little man from Amsterdam").

Warning: there is a bit of a vendetta between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Hence, never order an "Amsterdammertje" in Rotterdam, but always order a "vaasje".

2. "Pul": tankard, mug.

Extra:
1. Randstad: the agglomeration in the west of the Netherlands at the ‘edge’ (‘rand’) of the country. It consists of the four largest cities, and the surrounding areas.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randstad.

2. About the head of foam with which beer in The Netherlands is always served:
The head of foam should be two fingers high. The consumption time of one glass is determined by an adequate balance between the shrinkage of the foam and the remaining fluid.

When the foam has disappeared completely before the glass is empty, and the beer is already getting luke, it is said that the beer is "doodgeslagen" (deadbeat). The risk of a deadbeat beer is higher when the volume of the beer glass increases. For this reason beer connaisseurs often consider drinking from "fluitjes" more tasteful than drinking from "vaasjes". One who is only preoccupied with the mere consumption of volume, obviously goes for the "vaasje".