Category Archives: Dutch word of the day

Kletsmajoor

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chattering fool, blabbermouth Iconspeaker_3 Kletsmajoor
[noun]
[de klets-ma-joor, klets-ma-joors]

"Kletsmajoor" literally translates to chatter major. A "kletsmajoor" talks a lot, not specifically gossip, just a lot 🙂

A popular synonym is "kletskous" (lit.: chatter sock, see also Kletsen). Sometimes you may also see the somewhat outdated "kletsmeier".

Examples:
– "Frank is gewoon een ordinaire kletsmajoor." 
("Frank is just a tacky blabbermouth.")

– "Je noemt mij een kletsmajoor? Je bent niet goed snik!" 
("You’re calling me a chattering fool? You’re out of your mind!")

– "De griep zal de mensheid binnen 20 jaar decimeren…" – "Jij kletsmajoor…" 
("The flu will decimate mankind within 20 years…" – "You blabbermouth…")

– "Wees voorzichtig met wat je zegt. Kletsmajoors komen niet ver in de politiek…" 
("Be careful with what you say. Chattering fools will not get far in politics…")

Expressions:
– "Iemand de oren van het hoofd kletsen.": to talk the hind leg off
a donkey / to talk really much. (Literally: to talk the ears off
someone’s head).
– "Uit je nek kletsen.": to talk nonsense. (Literally: to talk out of your neck).

Example:
"Frank zat weer behoorlijk uit z’n nek te kletsen tijdens de vergadering."
("Frank was really talking nonsense again during the meeting.")

Related words:
– Kletsen: to chat, to chatter [verb] [kletsen, kletste, h. gekletst].
– Roddelen: to gossip [verb] [roddelen, roddelde, h. geroddeld].

Example:
– "Ik? Een affaire met de buurvrouw? Wie heeft er geroddeld? Dat slaat nergens op!" 
("Me? An affair with my neighbour? Who told you that gossip? That makes no sense at all!")

Ordinair

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vulgar, tacky Iconspeaker_3
[adjective/adverb]
[or-di-nair]

Although Dutch "ordinair" can be used in the same meaning as English "ordinary", it’s mainly used in Ordi the meaning of "vulgar" ("vulgair" in Dutch), "tacky", or "uncivilized". Informally, some people use the abbreviation "ordi" for "ordinair".

Examples:
– "Wat een ordinaire jurk, je kunt er recht doorheen kijken!" 
("What a tacky dress, you can see right through it!")

– "Of je dat ordinair vindt of niet, is een kwestie van smaak." 
("If you find that vulgar or not, is a matter of taste.")

– "Hij gebruikt in elke zin minstens drie scheldwoorden; wat een ordinair taalgebruik." 
("He uses at least three swearing words in every sentence; what a vulgar use of language.")

– "Al dat nepgoud maakt het er niet geraffineerder op, het ziet er eerder ordinair uit." 
("All that fake gold doesn’t make it more refined, it rather makes it look tacky.")

– "Ze heeft niet zoveel met al dat bling-bling, dat vindt ze ordinair." 
("She doesn’t really like all that bling-bling, she thinks it’s vulgar.")

Related words:
– Tuig: scum [noun] [het tuig, <no plural>].
– Platvloers: coarse, uncivilized [adjective/adverb].

Example:
– "Die comedian heeft erg platvloerse humor."
("That comedian has very rough humor.")

– Onbeschaafd: uncivilized [adjective/adverb].

Opsporen

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to track, trace, detect Iconspeaker_3
Sherlock_holmes
[verb]
[op-spo-ren, spoor-de op, op-ge-spoord]

"Opsporen" is both used for people and errors. In case of people it is mostly used in the context of law enforcement.

Examples:
– "Het spijt ons, maar de fout is nog steeds niet opgespoord." 
("We are sorry, but the error still has not been detected.")

– "Het opsporen van misdadigers zou de eerste prioriteit moeten hebben!" 
("(The) Tracking down (of) criminals should have the first priority!")

– "De privédetective maakte furore door diverse vermiste personen op te sporen." 
("The private investigater caused a furore/furor by tracking down several missing persons.")

– "De politie heeft de dader nog niet opgespoord en roept de hulp in van de kijkers." 
("The police have not yet tracked down the perpetrator en request the assistance of the viewers." Also see the Extra: "Opsporing verzocht".)

Related words:
– Spoor: track, trace, mark [noun] [het spoor, de sporen].
– Opsporing: tracing, location [noun] [de opsporing, de opsporingen].
– Spoorzoeken: activity of tracking, tracing [noun] [het spoorzoeken]. Note that ‘spoorzoeken’ is also a verb but only used in the infinitive form.

Extra:
"Opsporing verzocht", literally "Tracing requested" is a popular Dutch tv program in which the police ask the viewers for help with tracking down perpetrators by showing real footage or reconstructions of a crime. This method proves to be very successful.

Uier

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udder Iconspeaker_3 Uier

[noun]
[de ui-er, de ui-ers]

“Uiers” are the mammary glands of ruminants: mammals that re-chew their plant-based food before further processing. The most well-known Dutch animal with “uiers” is of course a “koe”: a cow 🙂

Sometimes “uiers” are used to refer to a woman’s (large) breasts, but this is strongly sexist and derogatory.

“Uier” has nothing to do with “ui“: onion…

Examples:
– “Een koe produceert melk via de uier.” 
(“A cow produces milk via the udder.”)

– “Ken jij nog meer dieren met uiers?” – “Jazeker: geiten en schapen hebben ook uiers.” 
(“Do you know more animals with udders?” -“Sure: goats and sheep have udders too.”)

– “Anita is afgestudeerd op de invloed van uierbehandeling op de kwaliteit van melk.” -“Te gek! Dat wist ik niet!” 
(“Anita has graduated on the influence of udder care on milk quality.” – “Great! I didn’t know that!”)

Expressions:
– “Melk is goed voor elk”: (Dutch rhyme) milk is good for everybody.

Related words:
– Melk: milk [noun] [de melk, <no plural>].
– Melken: to milk [verb] [melken, molk, h. gemolken].

Example:
– “Koeien worden tegenwoordig niet meer door de boer zelf maar door een machine gemolken.”
(“Nowadays, cows are no longer milked by the farmer himself, but by a machine.”)

– Borst: 1. chest. 2. breast [noun] [de borst, de borsten].
– Koe: cow [noun] [de koe, de koeien].
– Schaap: sheep [noun] [het schaap, de schapen].
– Geit: goat [noun] [de geit, de geiten].

Deken

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1. blanket Iconspeaker_3 Deken

[noun]
[de de-ken, de de-kens]

A "deken" is a blanket. Good old-fashioned blankets on Dutch beds are more and more replaced with "dekbedden": duvets.

Examples:
– "Heb je nog een deken? Ik heb het koud." 
("Do you have another blanket? I’m cold." Lit.: "I have it cold.")

– "Zijn liefde is als een warme deken…" 
("His love is like a warm blanket…")

– "Ik denk dat ik de griep heb." – "Neem nog een extra deken en blijf in bed." 
("I think I have the flu." – "Take extra blanket and stay in bed.")

Expressions:
– "Onder de dekens": (lit.) under the blankets: in bed.

Related words:
– Bed: bed [noun] [het bed, de bedden].
– Laken: sheet [noun] [het laken, de lakens].

Example:
– "Tussen de lakens."
("Between the sheets.")

– Kleed: rug, cloth [noun] [het kleed, de kleden].

Extra:
Michael Jackson’s third child Prince Michael Jackson II is nicknamed Blanket, which is translated to "Dekentje" in Dutch: little blanket…


2. deacon Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[de de-ken, de de-kens]
Deacon

A "deken" is also a deacon: a clerical rank.

The Dutch word for dean is "decaan": the chairman of a faculty at a university, or "schooldecaan": An officer of a college or high school who counsels students and supervises the enforcement of rules.

Examples:
– "De deken leidde de hoogmis in de basiliek van Meerssen." 
("The deacon was leading the high mass in Meerssen’s basilica.)

– "Weet jij het verschil tussen een deken en een bisschop?" 
("Do you know the difference between a deacon and a bishop?")

Related words:
– Kerk: church [noun] [de kerk, de kerken].
– Priester: priest [noun] [de priester, de priesters].
– Pastoor: pastor, father, priest [noun] [de pastoor, de pastoors].
– Bisschop: bishop [noun] [de bisschop, de bisschoppen].
– Dominee: vicar, minister, preacher [noun] [de dominee, dominees].