It doesn’t hurt to try
[Dutch phrase of the week]

You can use this expression when you are not sure that your actions will have a positive outcome, but won’t lead to any harm either.

The verb "baten" is typically used in fixed expressions, such as "het mocht niet baten" or "het heeft niet mogen baten". See the Related words.

Examples:
– "Denk je dat dit schoonmaakmiddel zal werken?" – "Ach, baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet!"
("Do you think this cleaning product will do the job?" – "Oh well, it doesn’t hurt to try!")
   

– "Ik ga alsnog een klacht indienen; baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet!"
("I am still going to file a complaint; it doesn’t hurt to try!")
   

– "Zullen we nog een voorbeeldzin toevoegen of zal het nu wel duidelijk zijn?" – "Waarom niet? Baat het niet, dan schaadt het niet!"
("Shall we add another example sentence or will it be clear by now?" – "Why not? It won’t hurt!")
   

Related words:
– Baten: to avail
[verb]
[baatte, gebaat].
This verb is typically used as in the example below:

Example:
– "Ik heb het nog een keer geprobeerd, maar het mocht niet baten / heeft niet mogen baten."
("I tried it once more, but it was of no avail.")

– Baat: benefit, profit, use
[noun]
[de baat,
baten].
The noun "baat" is not used often. You might hear it in an economical context, e.g. "kosten-batenanalyse" ("cost-benefit analysis") or the expression in the example below:

Example:
– "De kost gaat voor de baat uit."
("Expense precedes profit." This is an old saying. You can read it in its original form on a building in Amsterdam (across the water, when you stand on the corner of Oudebrugstraat and Damrak (on your left when you walk on the Damrak in Amsterdam from Central Station to Dam Square)).)

– Schaden: vertaling
[verb]
[schaadde, geschaad].

Example:
– "De slechte kwaliteit van het rapport heeft de reputatie van de auteur geschaad."
("The poor quality of the report damaged the author’s reputation.")

– Schade: damage
[noun]
[de schade,
schades].

you don’t make an effort, you don’t really try
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Ergens met de pet naar gooien" is "to make a half-hearted attempt" to finish a job or task because you don’t feel like doing it. When someone’s not committed to something, and therefore only finishes half of the job or does a very poor job, you can say: "Hij/zij gooit er met de pet naar", which literally translated to : "He/she is throwing the hat at it". Phrases with a similar meaning as "ergens met de pet naar gooien" are "niet je best doen" ("not try your best") or "ergens lak aan hebben" ("not care about something").

Examples:
– "Ze heeft haar studie nooit afgemaakt; vanaf het begin gooide ze er met de pet naar." 
("She never finished her studies; from the start she was not really committed to it.")

– "Ik denk dat zijn contract niet wordt verlengd want hij gooit er met de pet naar." 
("I don’t think that his contract will be renewed because he’s not really committed [to the job].")

– "Zodra de voetballers wisten dat ze de wedstrijd niet meer konden winnen, gooiden ze er met de pet naar." 
("As soon as the soccer players knew that they couldn’t win the match anymore, they didn’t make an effort.")

– "Elk klusje dat je aan haar geeft moet je zelf overdoen – ze gooit er echt met de pet naar." 
("Every task that you give to her you’ll have redo yourself – she really does a poor job.")

Expressions:
– "Ergens lak aan hebben": to not care about something.
– "Je best doen": to do one’s best.

Related words:
– Pet: hat [noun] [de pet, de petten].

Have you gone out of your mind?!
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Ben je betoeterd" is used informally and is a bit of a ‘friendly’ "have you gone out of your mind?!". As such it is often used to address children, as opposed to the stronger "ben je gestoord?!" or "ben je besodemieterd?!". It can also be used in the meaning of "don’t be daft/ridiculous".

A common variation is "ben je nu helemaal betoeterd" ("have you gone completely out of your mind").

Note that "toeteren" is the Dutch verb for "to honk/blast/toot".

Examples:
– "Mevrouw, bent u nu helemaal betoeterd, wij staan hier allemaal te wachten en ik ben aan de beurt!" 
("Madam, have you gone out of your mind, we are all waiting (in line) and it is my turn!")

– "Zal ik je thuis afzetten?"- "Ah joh, ben je betoeterd, ik loop wel." 
("Shall I drop you off at your house?" – "Oh don’t be ridiculous, I’ll walk.")

– "Ben je nu helemaal betoeterd?! Wat heeft mamma nou gezegd, hier met dat koekje!" 
("Are you out of your mind?! What did mummy tell you, now give me that cookie/biscuit!")

Expressions:
– "Ben je (nu helemaal) van de pot gerukt?!": a popular more vulgar alternative to "ben je betoeterd". Literally it says "have you been pulled off the pot(ty)?!" .
– "Ben je gek/gestoord?!": are you crazy/insane?!.

Related words:
– Toeter: horn, blower [noun] [de toeter, de toeters].
– Toeteren: to blast, to honk [verb] [toeterde, getoeterd].

(at) every moment, continuously, at the merest trifle
[Dutch phrase of the week]

“Haver” translates to “oat(s)”. “Klap” literally translates to “blow”. A “haverklap” was probably something like a handful of straw, which was considered a small, trivial thing. “Om de haverklap” hence meant something like “at the point of a trivial thing”: every moment, at the merest trifle.

Examples:
– “Frank heeft om de haverklap een afspraakje via een datingsite.” 
(“Frank continuously has a date via a dating site.”)

– “De aandeelhoudersvergadering van Fortis liep om de haverklap uit de hand.”
(“The Fortis shareholder’s meeting was getting out of hand at the merest trifle.”)

– “De beurs stort om de haverklap in elkaar.”
(“The stock exchange crashes constantly at the merest trifle.”)

– “Philip kletst om de haverklap uit zijn nek.”
(“Philip is talking nonsense all the time.”)

Related words:
– Vaak: often [adverb].
– Dikwijls: often, frequently [adverb].

It’s going too far, it’s getting out of hand
[Dutch phrase of the week]

This expression is applicable to a situation where a certain
negative development is going on for some time, and is getting out of
hand at some point.

A "spuigat" is a so-called scupper: an opening in the hull of a ship,
at deck level, for purposes of draining water. "Het loopt de spuigaten
uit" literally means: It (i.e. water) runs out of the scuppers. So when
water is draining from the scuppers, this means that the deck is
covered in a layer of water, which is an undesirable situation…

If you want to specify the thing or situation that is getting out of
hand, you say: "Het loopt de spuigaten uit met [thing/situation]", see
the Examples. A related word is "spui" which you might recognize if you live in The Hague or Amsterdam, see below.

Examples:
– "Het loopt de spuigaten uit met de criminaliteit in de grote steden." 
("Crime is getting out of hand in the big cities.")

– "Ga je vanavond weer naar een feest? Dat is belachelijk! Het loopt de spuigaten uit!" 
("Are you going to a party again tonight? That’s ridiculous! It’s getting out of hand!.")

– "Ik kan niet meer tegen het gedoe…het loopt de spuigaten uit!" 
("I can’t stand the fuss anymore…it’s going too far!")

Expressions:
– "Dit gaat te ver": this is going too far.
– "Dit loopt uit de hand": this is getting out of hand. Lit.: this walks out of the hand.

Related words:
– Spuien: to drain (off), to sluice surplus water [verb] [spuide, gespuid]. Note that "spuien" can also be used figuratively: to spout (knowledge/criticism etc.).
– Spui: the place in town where one would sluice surplus water in the old days. There is a Spui in at least Amsterdam and in The Hague.
– Gat: hole [noun] [het gat, de gaten].