Author Archives: Marc

Onnozel

Posted on by

silly, clueless, stupid, gullible Click to listen
Onnozel
[adjective]
[on-no-zel]

Someone who is "onnozel", is a bit silly and easily tricked into believing things. A bit stupid, but in a harmless way.

Examples:
– "Dit is werkelijk geniaal!"
– "Vind je? Ik vind het een beetje onnozel." 
("This is truly brilliant!" – "You think so? I think
it's a bit silly.")

– "Alicia is altijd aan het winkelen of
aan het dromen van de ware liefde…ze
is een beetje onnozel…" 
("Alicia
is always shopping or dreaming of true love…she's a bit clueless…")

– "In tegenstelling tot Frank, ben ik niet onnozel. Hou op met die smoesjes!" 
("Unlike Frank, I'm not stupid. Stop making poor excuses!")

Expressions:
– "Zich van de domme houden": to play stupid/innocence.

Example:
– "Hou je niet van de domme, dat was een schwalbe!"
("Don't play stupid with me, that was a fake dive!")

– "Het geluk is met de dommen": You don't need to be smart to be lucky.
– "Een onnozele hals / onnozelaar": simpleton, sucker, stupid.
– "Zalig zijn de armen van geest, want hunner is het Koninkrijk der hemelen
(Matteüs 5:3)": Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven (Matth 5:3).

Related words:Forrestgump
– Dom:
dumb, stupid [adjective].

Example:
– "Je bent zo dom als je je voordoet, meneer!" 
("Stupid is as stupid does, sir!")

– Flapdrol: dweeb, idiot, loony, wacko [noun] [de flapdrol, de flapdrollen].
– Stom: stupid [adjective].

Schaamluis

Posted on by

crab louse, crabs Click to listen
Schaamluis
[noun]
[de schaam-luis, de schaam-lui-zen]

“Schaamluis” is composed of “schaam” (from “zich schamen”) and “luis”, which respectively translate to “to be ashamed” and “louse”.

The Dutch call the area in which crabs tend to nest the “schaamstreek”: the pubic area, literally the shame area…

If you have crabs, your doctor will tell you: “U heeft schaamluis” (<note: in this case the singular form is used>), or “Je hebt platjes” (<plural form again>), which is more informal…

Examples:
– “Ik ben gisteren naar de dokter geweest…ik heb schaamluis…” – “Balen!” 
(“I went to the doctor yesterday…I’ve got crabs…” – “Tough luck!”)

– “Heb je het al gehoord? Frank heeft schaamluis!” – “Dat verbaast me niks met al zijn knipperlichtrelaties…” 
(“Have you already heard? Frank has crabs!” – “I’m not surprised, with all his on-and-off relationships…” Lit.: “That surprises me nothing…”)

– “Schaamluizen leven van menselijk bloed.” 
(“Crab lice feed on human blood.”)

Related words:
– Condoom: condom [noun] [het condoom, de condooms].
– Geslachtsziekte: sexually transmitted disease, venereal disease [noun] [de geslachtsziekte, de geslachtsziekten].
– Jeuk: itch [noun] [de jeuk, <no plural>].

Example:
– “Ik heb jeuk in mijn schaamstreek…” – “Misschien moet je je laten controleren op schaamluis.”
(“I have an itch in my pubic area…” – “Maybe you need to go have yourself checked for crabs.”)

– Schaamstreek: pubic/genital area [noun] [de schaamstreek, de schaamstreken].
– Soa (seksueel overdraagbare aandoening): STD (sexually transmitted disease) [noun] [de soa, de soa’s].
– Zich schamen (voor): to be ashamed (of) [verb] [zich schamen, schaamde zich, h. zich geschaamd,].

Extra:
Now we’re on the subject, here’s the STD top 7 in the Netherlands (from SOA Aids) (although crabs aren’t necessarily an STD…):
– Chlamydia (chlamydia)
– Genitale wratten (genital warts)
– Gonoroe / druiper (gonorrhea / (lit.) dripper)
– Hepatitis B (hepatitis B)
– Genitale herpes (herpes simplex)
– HIV (hiv)
– Syfilis

The Dutch national anthem: “Het Wilhelmus”

Posted on by

Just to prepare you adequately for the final of the world championship, we'll provide you with some background info on the Dutch national anthem :-), or "het volkslied" (the people's song), as we call it. Wilhelmus

The Dutch national anthem is called "Het Wilhelmus", lit.: The William (song). The anthem was first written down in 1574, making it the oldest national anthem in the world (only the lyrics of the Japanese anthem are older..) The Wilhelmus wasn't always our anthem. it was 'promoted' national anthem in 1932.

The song is written actually quite ingeniously. It's a so called acrostic: the first letters of the fifteen (!) verses spell out the name Willem van Nassov (also known as William the Silent). Normally, only the first verse is sung, sometimes followed by the sixth (which was popular during the second World War).

And now…the lyrics of the first verse - including translation:

Wilhelmus van Nassouwe
ben ik, van Duitsen bloed,
den vaderland getrouwe
blijf ik tot in den dood.
Een Prinse van Oranje
ben ik, vrij, onverveerd,
den Koning van Hispanje
heb ik altijd geëerd. 		William of Nassau
am I, of Dutch blood.
Loyal to the fatherland
I will remain until I die.
A prince of Orange
am I, free and fearless.
The king of Spain
I have always honoured.

Note that "…Duitsen bloed…" originates from "…Dietschen bloed…" see also Extra of DWOTD Reikhalzend.

For more info on "Het Wilhelmus", check out Wikipedia, here [Dutch] and here [English]. Hup Holland Hup!!! 🙂

Reikhalzend

Posted on by

longingly, anxiously Click to listen
Reikhalzend
[adverb]
[reik-hal-zend]

"Reikhalzend" is composed of "reik" and "halzend" from respectively  "reiken" and "hals". "Reiken" translates to "to reach" and "hals" translates to "neck". "Reikhalzend" would literally be something like "neck stretching"… 🙂

"Reikhalzend" is often used in combination with the verb "uitkijken naar": to look forward to. So, "reikhalzend uitkijken naar" would literally translate to "to look longingly forward to".

Examples:
– "Iedereen in Nederland kijkt reikhalzend uit naar de finale…de verwachtingen zijn hooggespannen…" 
("Everybody in the Netherlands is really looking forward to the final…the expectations are sky high… ")

– "Ik kan niet wachten tot zondag! ik kijk reikhalzend uit naar de overwinning!! Hup Holland hup!" 
("I can't wait till Sunday! I'm longing for victory!! Go Holland go!")

– "Frank kijkt reikhalzend uit naar een nieuwe liefde…" – "Kansloos, hij is de koning van de knipperlichtrelatie." 
("Frank is yearning for a new love…" – "Hopeless, he's the king of the on-off relationship.")

Expressions:
– "De wens is de vader van de gedachte": (lit.: the wish is the father of the thought) wishful thinking, used when you believe something because you want it to be true.
– "Hoop doet leven": (lit.: hope does living) hope springs eternal.

Example:
– "Hup Holland hup! We worden wereldkampioen!!" – Hoop doet leven vriend, hoop doet leven…"
("Go Holland Go! We''re going to be world champion!!" – Hope springs eternal my friend, hope springs eternal…")

Related words:
– Hals: neck, throat [noun] [de hals, de halzen].
– Hoop: hope [noun} [de hoop, <no plural>].
– Reiken: to reach, hand, pass, give, hand over, give to [verb] [reiken, reikte, h. gereikt].

Extra:
Because of the soccer world championship 2010, our small country is in the picture quite a bit now…here's a little bit more info on the name of our beloved country: the official name of our country is "Nederland". However, the country "Nederland" is part of a kingdom: "het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden": the Kingdom of the Netherlands. So, the English name for our country – the Netherlands <plural> – refers actually to our kingdom, which is in fact incorrect: it should be Netherland (but we forgive you 🙂 ). The word "neder" is synonymous to "laag": low. Sometimes, the Netherlands are referred to  – in a historical context – as "De Lage Landen" (or "De Nederlanden"): the Low Countries, which are the historical lands
around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt,
and Meuse rivers, including the modern
countries of Belgium, the Netherlands,
Luxembourg
and parts of northern France and western Germany. You may have heard from the Dutch popfestival Lowlands, which is quite popular in the Netherlands.
Nederlandse vlag

To increase the confusion, the name of our country "Nederland" is also often translated with "Holland". However…"Holland" is the name of an important historical province in the Netherlands. Currently there are two 'Holland provinces': Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland (North Holland and South Holland). But because this province was so important in the past, its name has apparently become an equivalent for the whole country…

To confuse you even more, let's take a quick look at the adjective "Dutch". This is an (English) derivation of "Diets" or "Dietsch", a collective name for a number of closely related dialects which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500 in the Netherlands, from which later standard Dutch would be derived. "Dutch" and "Diets(ch)" are also etymologically related to "Duits", which, in modern Dutch, translates to "German", which translates to "Deutsch" in the German language…still following?? 😉 Anyhow, the Dutch call themselves "Nederlanders", literally: Netherlanders or Lowlanders. 

It seems that if you add the adjective "Dutch" to something, it gets a negative connotation, for example the phrase "go Dutch" or "Dutch treat". This can be traced back to a time when England and the Netherlands fought constantly over trade routes and political boundaries during the 17th century. The British used the term "Dutch" in a number or derogatory or demeaning ways, including "Dutch courage" (bravery through alcohol) and "Dutch  treat", which was actually no treat at all. The Dutch were said to be very stingy with their wealth, almost miserly, so the British used the word "Dutch" informally to imply all sorts of negative behaviours… <from wiseGEEK>

And finally, if you're wondering why we refer to our national soccer team – in fact, every Dutch national sports team – as "Oranje", well…that's because our royal family is from the house of Oranje-Nassau. "Oranje" translates to "orange", as you probably would have guessed…Also check out Oranjekoorts!

In tegenstelling tot

Posted on by

unlike, in contrast to, as opposed to Click to listen
In tegenstelling tot
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Tegenstelling" is composed of "tegen" and "stelling", which respectively translate to "against/counter" and "position/statement". Hence, "tegenstelling" literally translates to "counter position": a contrast. The idiom "In tegenstelling tot" literally translates to "in contrast to", but also to "unlike" or "as opposed to", depending on context.

Examples:
– "In tegenstelling tot gisterochtend, had ik vandaag geen vertraging met de trein." 
("Unlike yesterday morning, my train wasn't delayed today." Lit.: "…I didn't have delay with the train.")

– "In tegenstelling tot wat velen geloofden, heeft Nederland gewonnen van Brazilië!" 
("In contrast to what many believed, the Netherlands won against Brasil!")

– "In tegenstelling tot de meeste Nederlanders, ben ik faliekant tegen het nationale gedoogbeleid voor softdrugs." – "Zeurkous…" 
("Unlike most Dutch, I'm completely against the national policy on soft drugs." – "Nag…")

Expressions:
– "Integendeel": on the contrary.

Example:
– "Hoe gaat het jongen? Nog steeds kommer en kwel?" – "Integendeel! Alles loopt op rolletjes!"
("What's up buddy? All sorrow and misery still?" – "On the contrary! Everything goes like clockwork!")

Related words:
– Tegen: against [preposition].

Example:
– "Roze behang in de slaapkamer?
Daar ben ik faliekant tegen!" 
("Pink
wallpaper in the bedroom? I'm totally against that!")

– Stelling: thesis, position, statement [noun] [de stelling, de stellingen].