Category Archives: Dutch phrase of the week

Met man en macht

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with great/maximum effort, with might and main, massively
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[met man en macht] 

This expression can only be used in case of a group effort. It is used to emphasize that everybody helped out and gave all they had in order to achieve something.

The expression seems to make sense given the literal translation of ‘with man and power/force’, however its original form dates back to the middle ages and reads: met ‘man en maech’ (with man and his relatives) emphasizing the group aspect more than the effort.

Examples:
– “Met man en macht probeerde de brandweer de brand te blussen maar het mocht niet baten; het pand is volledig afgebrand.” 
(“The fire brigade tried with great effort to extinguish the fire, but it was of no avail; the property burnt down completely.”)

– “Met man en macht is gisteren de hele dag gezocht naar het vermiste meisje.” 
(“Yesterday a huge search party searched all day long for the missing girl.”)

– “De laatste aanhangers van de dictator verdedigden met man en macht hun bolwerk in het midden van de stad.” 
(“The dictator’s last followers massively defended their stronghold in the centre of the city.”)

Related words:
– Man: man (male or person/human) [noun] [de man, de mannen].
– Macht: power [noun] [de macht, <no plural>].

Example:
– “De rebellen hebben de macht overgenomen in het zuiden van het land.”
(“The rebels have assumed power in the southern regions of the country.” Lit.: “.. in the south of the country.”)

– Massaal: massive [adjective/adverb].
– Inzet: effort, dedication [noun] [de inzet, <no plural>]. In case of the translation of ‘stake, wager’, the plural form is ‘de inzetten’.

Dat is schering en inslag

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that’s the order of the day, that happens frequently
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[dat is sche-ring en in-slag] 

When you say that something is ‘schering en inslag’, you mean that it happens very frequently and that it is a bad thing. Like people dodging fares, or managers collecting huge bonuses whereas other people can’t pay their mortgage anymore (and the latter could therefore also be ‘schering en inslag’).

Literally ‘schering en inslag’ translates as ‘warp and weft/woof’.

Examples:
– “Ik zie tegenwoordig steeds meer scooters rijden in de stad, en ze maken een enorme herrie; het is schering en inslag in Amsterdam.” 
(“Nowadays I see more and more scooters (riding) in the city, and they make a tremendous amount of noise; it’s the order of the day in Amsterdam.” Note that the noun ‘herrie’ already implies ‘a lot of noise’.)

– “Dat managers extreem hoge bonussen opstrijken ten koste van het gewone personeel is schering en inslag geworden; we spreken nu inmiddels van een ‘graaicultuur’.” 
(“It has become almost normal that managers collect big bonuses at the expense of the regular personnel; by now we speak of a ‘groping culture’.” Note that the verb ‘opstrijken’ is used for ‘collecting/receiving without any effort’.)

– “Spelfouten zijn schering en inslag op het internet, maar ook een kwaliteitskrant als NRC Handelsblad maakt zich er schuldig aan.” 
(“Spelling errors have become common on the internet, but also a quality newspaper such as ‘NRC Handelsblad’ is guilty of making such errors.” Note the construct ‘zich schuldig maken aan iets’: to be guilty of doing something.)

Expressions:
– “Dat is aan de orde van de dag”: that’s the order of the day. This expression doesn’t have a negative connotation by definition, as opposed to ‘dat is schering en inslag’.

Related words:
– Frequent: frequently [adjective/adverb].
– Normaal: normal [adjective].

Example:
– “Het is tegenwoordig normaal geworden om elkaar niet meer fatsoenlijk te groeten.”
(“These days it has become normal to no longer properly greet / say hello to each other.”)

Kort van stof

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brief, concise, to not say much
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[kort van stof] 

Common translations of the noun ‘stof’ are ‘dust’, ‘substance/material’, and ‘cloth/fabric’. The translation ‘material’ can also be used figuratively in which case it means ‘(subject) matter’. When somebody is ‘kort van stof’ (the phrase is used with the verb ‘zijn’), he or she does not use many words to describe the matter (hence ‘brief, concise’) or the person just doesn’t talk a whole lot (in general). The opposite is ‘lang van stof zijn’ (to be long-winded).

Examples:
– “Ik kan niet zo goed opschieten met de vader van mijn vriendin. Hij is altijd zo kort van stof, op het norse af.” 
(“I don’t get along very well with my girlfriend’s father. He never says much, he’s almost grumpy.” Note ‘opschieten met’; it can either mean ‘to make good progress with’ or ‘to get along well with (somebody)’. The construct ‘(het is) op het [adjective] af’ means that ‘it is bordering [adjective]’.)

– “Ok, deze professor staat erom bekend dat hij de dingen kort en bondig uitlegt, maar ik vind hem wel heel erg kort van stof. Vorige week duurde het college maar 20 minuten!” 
(“Okay, so this professor is known for explaining things concisely, but I think he is _very_ brief. Last week the lecture lasted only 20 minutes!”)

– “Ik krijg vaak de feedback dat ik wat korter van stof moet zijn als ik iets uitleg; men vindt mij dus vaak iets te lang van stof. Begrijp je wel, het schijnt dus zo te zijn dat ik te lang ergens over doorga, maar persoonlijk vind ik…” 
(“I often get the feedback that I have to be more concise when I explain something; so the general opinion is that I’m a bit long-winded. You know what I’m saying, so apparently it’s the case that I go on too long about something, but personally I think…” Note ‘men vindt’: literally ‘one thinks’ or ‘one is of the opinion…’)

– “Vind jij ‘kort van stof zijn’ een goede, of een slechte eigenschap? Of heb je geen mening?” 
(“Do you think ‘being brief’ is a strength or a weakness? Or do you have no opinion?”)

Expressions:
– “Een man van weinig woorden”: lit. a man of few words, this is to describe a man who does not need many words to make his point. You can also use ‘vrouw’, but it is less common as a fixed expression.
– “Kort en bondig”: (brief and) to the point. This expression has a positive connotation.

Related words:
– Beknopt: concise, briefly-worded [adjective].
– Kort: short [adjective].
– Stof: material, subject matter [noun] [de stof, de stoffen]. (Plural form absent in case of ‘subject matter’ translation).

Krap bij kas

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short of cash/money
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[krap bij kas] 

This week’s phrase is actually an expression: “krap bij kas zitten”: to be short of cash/money. It’s an example of the versatile use of the verb ‘zitten’ which normally translates as ‘to sit’ but is also often used when you are ‘in a specific situation’. The adjective ‘krap’ means ‘tight, narrow’. ‘Kas’ is the general ‘(directly accessible) repository for money’.

The opposite expression is “goed bij kas zijn/zitten”.

Examples:
– “Kun jij het even voorschieten, ik zit een beetje krap bij kas…” 
(“Would you mind paying for me, I’m a bit short of cash….” The verb ‘voorschieten’ is like lending somebody money but you will usually be completing the transaction yourself 🙂 .)

– “Zullen we vrijdag ergens gaan eten?” – “Leuk, maar ik zit eerlijk gezegd krap bij kas deze maand. Kun je ook over twee weken, dan is het salaris weer binnen…” 
(“Shall we go out for dinner (somewhere) on Friday?” – “That would be nice, but to be honest, I’m a bit short of cash this month. Are you available in two weeks from now, I’ll have my salary by then.” Lit. “…., then the salary will be in again.”)

– “We zullen de uitgaven beter in de gaten moeten houden, want op deze manier blijven we eeuwig krap bij kas zitten.” 
(“We will have to keep better track of the expenses, because this way we will always be short of money…”)

Expressions:
– “Geen cent te makken hebben”: to be very poor, to (always) be short of money.

Related words:
– Krap: tight, narrow [adjective].
– Kas: general repository for money which is directly accessible [noun] [de kas, <no plural>].
– Arm: poor [adjective].
– Blut: broke, skint [adjective].

Dat is een pak van mijn hart

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that’s a huge relief, that’s a load off my mind
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[dat is een pak van mijn hart] 

In the phrase ‘dat is een pak van mijn hart’ the noun ‘pak’ refers to a heavy load or burden that is ‘lifted off the heart’. The latter implies that it regards concerns or worries as opposed to physical burden. The phrase is used when something happens that is a huge relief.

Other possessive pronouns than ‘mijn’ can be used and you may also hear “het is een pak van mijn hart” or the shortened “pak van mijn hart”.

Examples:
– “Dat we het huis eindelijk verkocht lijken te hebben, is een pak van mijn hart.” 
(“It is a huge relief (to me) that it finally seems we have sold the house.”)

– “De operatie is geslaagd, uw man maakt het goed en we denken dat hij na een dag of twee wel naar huis mag.” – “O dokter, dat is een pak van mijn hart, dankuwel!” 
(“The surgery went well, your husband is doing fine and we think that he’ll be allowed to go home within a day or two.” – “Oh doctor, that is such a relief, thank you very much!”)

– “Hallo, ik ben goed aangekomen hoor!” – “O kind, dat is een pak van mijn hart, we waren zo ongerust toen je maar niet belde!” 
(“Hello, I’ve arrived safe and sound, all went well!” – “O my dear, that is a huge relief, we were so worried when you just wouldn’t call!” Lit. “Oh child, …” The adverb ‘hoor’ is difficult to translate, it’s there to take away potentially existing doubt.)

– “En, bent u opgelucht?” – “Pak van mijn hart, kan niet anders zeggen, pak van mijn hart, ik dacht dat het nooit meer goed zou komen.” 
(“So, are your relieved?” – “So relieved, no other way to say it, so relieved, I thought it would never be okay again.”)

Related words:
– Pak: parcel/package, pack/bunch, load/burden [noun] [het pak, de pakken].
– Opgelucht: relieved [adjective].
– Opgelucht ademhalen: to heave a sigh of relief [verb] [haalde adem, ademgehaald].
– Opluchting: relief [noun] [de opluchting, de opluchtingen].
– Blij: happy, glad [adjective].
– Spanning: stress, tension, suspense [noun] [de spanning, de spanningen].