annoying, bothersome, irritating [adjective] [
‘ie-rie-tant‘] 

“Irritant” is most often used to describe an annoying event, person or situation. It can also be used as an exclamation (see the examples). The word is similar to the English “irritant” but cannot be used in the same context everywhere. For example, the Dutch “irritant” cannot be used when describing allergic reactions or inflammation to flu ids or other substances. In these cases, you would use a construction with the Dutch verb “irriteren” (see Related words).

Less often you will hear “irritant” being used as an adverb. You can for example say “irritant goed” about somebody who annoys you by always excelling.

Examples:
– “Het is heel erg irritant dat ik iedere dag in de file sta…”
(“It’s really very annoying to be in a traffic jam every day…” Lit.: “…that I stand in a traffic jam…”.)

– “Hij weet altijd alles beter; hij is echt een irritant mannetje.”
(“He always knows things best; the guy is a real pain in the neck.” Lit: “He always knows everything better; he really is an annoying little man.”)

– “Door die stomme muis ben elke keer mijn cursor kwijt. Irritant!”
(<office language> “This stupid mouse makes me loose my cursor all the time. Annoying!”)

Related words:
– “Irriteren”: to irritate.

Examples:
– “De harde muziek irriteert me, ik kan niemand meer verstaan”.
(“The loud music is annoying me, I can’t hear anyone anymore”.)

– “Sanex irriteert je huid niet.”
(“Sanex does not irritate your skin.”)

– “Irritatie”: [noun] irritation, vexation.

Example:
“Haar continue klagen was de voornaamste bron van zijn irritatie.”
(“Her constant complaints were the main source of his vexation.”)

– “Irritatiegrens”: [noun] irritation threshold.

Example:
– “Ik luister niet meer naar je stomme opmerkingen, mijn irritatiegrens is bereikt.”
(“I won’t listen to your stupid remarks anymore, my irritation threshold has been reached.”)

Extra:
A mistake often made when using the verb “irriteren” in an active mode, is “ik irriteer me aan hem” (Lit: “I annoy me on him”). The correct way of saying this is: “hij irriteert mij” (“he annoys me”), since the verb “irriteren” always needs a direct object. A verb with a similar meaning as ‘irriteren’ is ‘ergeren’. This verb can be used in both ways, e.g. “hij ergert mij” and “ik erger me aan hem”, both translated as “he annoys me”.

This DWOTD was provided by guest author Laura.

nitpicker [noun] [de mierenneuker, de mierenneukers] [‘mie-run-neu-kur’]

This word is composed of “mieren” (“ants”) and “neuker” – derived from “neuken”. Originally “neuken” meant “to knock / thrust” but is currently only known in its translation of “to f*ck”. That’s why some people may consider “mierenneuker” to be foul language. Although its use is mostly informal, this word is not meant to have an offensive connotation. In fact, a man was acquited after charges were pressed against him for calling a traffic warden a “mierenneuker”, see also Extra.

The related verb is “mierenneuken”: to nitpick.

Examples:
– “Ik vind Frank een enorme mierenneuker!”
(“I think Frank is a huge nitpicker!”)

– “Als het gaat om de lay-out van een DWOTD post, kan Sander een echte mierenneuker zijn.”
(“When it comes to the layout of a DWOTD post, Sander can be a real nitpicker.”)

– “Het nastreven van orde en precisie kan toch niet als mierenneuken bestempeld worden?”
(“Striving for order and precision can’t be called nitpicking, can it now?” This sentence was obviously added by Sander 🙂 )

– “Wat ben jij een ongelofelijke mierenneuker!” – “Je bent zelf een verschrikkelijke zeur!”
(“You’re such an incredible nitpicker!” – “You’re a terrible sorehead yourself!.”)

Related words:
– “Muggenzifter”: (lit.: “mosquito sifter”) niggler, hairsplitter. Synonymous to “mierenneuker” but never considered rude.
– “Kommaneuker”: (lit.: “comma f*cker”) nitpicker. Synonymous to “mierenneuker”, and equally informal.

Extra:
Calling an overzealous traffic warden a “mierenneuker” is allowed in The Netherlands. This was the verdict of judge in Alkmaar. A driver had parked his car on the sidewalk for quickly withdrawing some cash from an ATM (“pinnen“). When the man got back to his car, a traffic warden was already writing out a fine (“bon“). The man got angry and called the traffic warden a “mierenneuker”, at which the traffic warden felt offended and threatened, so he had the driver arrested by the police. The driver refused to pay the 220 euro fine and went to court with it…
The judge decided that the driver was right! Based on the authorative Dutch dictionary Van Dale, he concluded that the word “mierenneuker” is not offensive. According to the judge, a “mierenneuker” or a “muggenzifter” is a person who is very meticulous at his job. The judge found the remark inappropriate, but the traffic warden coud have interpreted “mierenneuker” as a compliment too…