287. Opkalefateren

to patch up, to do/perk (oneself) up [verb] [kalefaterde op, opgekalefaterd] [‘op-kaa-lu-faa-tu-run’]

We admit "opkalefateren" looks a bit strange. Its use in the Dutch language is quite common though: to express the activity of rendering a subject that is in some kind of messy state into a more patched up state. The verb can be used with both objects and persons, and can also be used in the reflexive form "zich opkalefateren": to do/perk oneself up.

Examples:
– "Frank heeft gisteren geprobeerd zijn oude fiets op te kalefateren, maar heeft daarin jammerlijk gefaald."
("Frank tried to patch up his old bike yesterday but failed miserably (in doing so)." The word "daarin" refers to the activity, hence the optional "in doing so".)

– "Schat, we moeten ons nog even opkalefateren, we moeten over een half uurtje weg!"
("Honey, we have to do/perk ourselves up now, we need to go in half an hour!")

– "Met drie hechtingen en een drukverband werd de soldaat opgekalefaterd en teruggestuurd naar het front."
("With three stitches and a pressure bandage the soldier was patched up and sent back to the front.")

– "De gemeente beraadt zich nog over een potentiële sloop van de woningen, want opkalefateren wordt ook als reële optie beschouwd."
("The municipality is still deliberating over the possible demolition of the houses, because patching up is also considered a realistic option.")

Expression:
– "Al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding": an ape’s an ape, a varlet’s a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet. Lit.: "Even though an ape may wear a golden ring, it is and will remain an ugly thing."

Related word:

– "Oplappen": to patch up.

286. Wegbonjouren

to send (someone) packing/away, to get rid of somebody, to kick (someone) out  [verb] [bonjourde weg, weggebonjourd] [‘weg-bon-zjoe-run’]

To all French readers: yes, there is the word "bonjour" in "wegbonjouren". Quite a few French words are used regularly in Dutch, but "bonjour" itself is not common although you might find it in the dictionary.

We created a verb by adding -en: "bonjouren" and it can mean "to greet", but then this is never used either 🙂 However, "wegbonjouren" you may encounter. "Weg" means "away" and so this verb is used to informally say that someone is sent packing/away or just plainly "kicked out".

Examples:
– "Reeds na twee dagen werd de stagair door zijn baas weggebonjourd."
("Already after two days, the intern was sent packing by his boss.")

– "De buurman is weer op de koffie… Het lukt me nooit hem weg te bonjouren!"
("The neighbour is over for coffee again… I never succeed in just sending him away!")

– "Daar heb je die glazenwasser weer. Kun jij hem even wegbonjouren?"
("There is that window-cleaner again. Can you get rid of him?")

– "Na de vergadering heeft Frank de twee consultants nog voor de lunch weten weg te bonjouren."
("After the meeting Frank was able to send the consultants away before lunch." This sentence shows an interesting example of the usage of "weten". Usually this means "to know", but can mean "to be able to" in constructions with "hebben" + "weten" + "te" + "infinitive".)

– "Gisteren liep ik over straat en werd ik lastiggevallen door een zwerver, maar de politie bonjourde hem weg."
("Yesterday I was walking down the street and was bothered by a bum/tramp, but the police sent him away." Note that "lastiggevallen" is the past participle of "lastigvallen".)

Related word:
– "Wegsturen": to send away (somebody).

285. Flut

of bad quality, of low significance, rubbishy, not cool [adjective] [‘flut‘]

"Flut" is used to say informally that something is not to one’s liking. Usually this is because it’s of bad quality or just not cool. You can’t really use "flut" for "nonsense" in itself, like the English "rubbish", but in combinations it’s possible (see Examples).

There are many ways in Dutch to express that something is not to one’s liking, in other words: that something sucks 🙂 We’ll cover a few under Extra, ranging in mildness and vulgarity.

Examples:
– "Hé, bevalt je nieuwe stereo?" – "Niet echt, het is een flutapparaat!"
("Hey, do you like your new hifi set?" – "Not really, it’s a crappy device." The Dutch commonly refer to a hifi set as a "stereo".)

– "Dit is echt flut…ik ben weer eens blut."
("This really not cool…I’m broke again.")

– "Wat een flutargument!"
("Nonsense!" Literally: "what a rubbish/absurd/nonsensical argument!")

– "Heb jij ‘Spaceballs’ gezien? Wat een flutfilm!" – "Nee man, die film is geniaal!!"
("Did you see ‘Spaceballs’ ? I think that movie is rubbish!" – "No way dude, that movie is brilliant!!")

– "Heb je nog wat kunnen krijgen voor je auto?" – "Ja, een flutbedrag!"
("Have you been able to get something in return for your car?" – "Yeah, like nothing!" A "bedrag" is an "amount" and "flutbedrag" is something like a "measly sum".)

Extra: here are some other ways to say that something is not to your liking 🙂
– "Dit is pet": follow the link for explanation.
– "Dit is shit": no explanation needed.
– "Dit is kut": this is very informal, "kut" is slang for vagina.
– "Dit is klote": again very informal, "klote" is short for "kloten": slang for testicles.
– "Dit is vervelend": this is unfortunate/annoying.
– "Dit is onfortuinlijk": this is unfortunate.
– "Dit is ruk": literally "this is wank/jerk", a good translation of "this sucks"; derived from "rukken": to jerk off, to wank.
– "Dit is but": derived from English "butt", another good equivalent for "this sucks".
– "Dit is balen": this is unfortunate, this sucks, this is upsetting etc.
– "Dit is jammer": this is unfortunate/a pity.
– "Dit is niet tof": this is not cool.

284. Blut

broke, out of money [adjective] [‘blut‘]

"Blut" is used to say informally that you are out of money. It can be used for both a temporary and more permanent state of being broke.

Examples:
– "Kun jij je zus geld lenen? Ze is weer eens blut."
("Can you lend your sister (some) money? Once again she is broke.")

– "Heb jij nog flappen? Ik ben blut."
("Do you have money left? I’m broke.")

– "Meestal ben ik blut ruim voor het einde van de maand…"
("Usually I’m broke way before the end of the month…")

Expressions:
– "Volkomen blut": flat broke. Literally "completely broke".
– "Iemand blut spelen": to clean someone out.

Example:
– "Ik ben gisteren blut gespeeld aan de blackjacktafel."
("I was cleaned out yesterday at the blackjack table.")

Related words:
– "Platzak": this is a synonym for "blut" and literally means "flat pocket".
– "Arm": poor.

Peuk

1. fag, smoke, cig(arette) [noun] [de peuk, de peuken] [‘peuk‘]

“Peuk” is a popular synonym for cigarette. It is always used informally. The original translation of “peuk”, see 2. below, is also common.

Examples:
– “Heb je een euro voor me? Ik wil peuken halen bij het café op de hoek van de straat.”
(“Do you have a euro (for me)? I want to get cigarettes in the bar at the corner of the street.”)

– “Kan ik een peuk van je bietsen?”
(“Can you spare me a fag? / Can I have a smoke from you?” Literally: “Can I bum/scrounge a fag of you?”)

– “Op de grond ligt een tapijt van peuken.”
(“A carpet of (cigarette) butts lies on the floor.” See Extra below.)

Related words:
– “Sigaret”: cigarette.
– “Een pakje peuken”: a pack of smokes/fags.
– “Aansteker“: lighter.
– “Opsteken”: to light (up).

2. butt, stub [noun] [de peuk, de peuken] [‘peuk‘]

Examples:
– “Na de lunchpauze liggen er buiten overal peuken op de grond.”
(“After the lunchbreak, there are (cigarette) butts all over the place outside.” Lit. “… lie all over the place…”)

– “In het studentenhuis hing een stank van peuken en verschaald bier.”
(“In the students’ house there was a stench of fags and stale beer.” Lit.: “…there hung a stench…”)

Extra:
From 1990 to 2005, the show “Jiskefet” was broadcast on the Dutch television. It was a show with various humoristic and absurdistic sketches. One of the recurring sketches was three snob students bragging about drinking beer and shagging women. In one episode, there’s the song “Er zit een haar in m’n glas (start 1.45)” (there’s a hair in my glass), which also contains the line: “op de grond ligt een tapijt van peuken” (on the floor lies a carpet of (cigarette) butts).

The diminutive of “peuk” is “peukje” and the informal diminutive is “peukie”. There is a beach restaurant/bar in Scheveningen that is called “peukie”: http://www.peukie.nl . They apparantly also claim to be a steakhouse 🙂