shrimp, prawn
[noun]

[de gar-naal, de gar-na-len]

Today a word in the category Animals (or is it the category Food ? 🙂 ). I’m not sure whether there’s a difference between a shrimp and a prawn – biologists, feel free to comment – but they both translate to "garnaal" in Dutch. You may often see "gamba" being used as a synonym for "garnaal", and you may also see specific types of shrimp in the "supermarkt": "Hollandse/noordzee garnalen" (Dutch/Northsea shrimps, small and grey), "noorse garnalen" (Norwegian shrimps, small and pink), "tijgergarnalen" (tiger shrimps, medium and striped pink), "jumbogarnalen" (jumbo shrimps), and probably many more…

Examples:
– "Is dit een recept met Hollandse of Noorse garnalen?" 
("Is this a recipe with Dutch or Norwegian shrimps?")

– "Er gaat niks boven een lekkere garnalencocktail!" – "Nou, doe mij maar een portie lekkerbekjes!"
("There’s nothing like a nice shrimp cocktail!" – "Well, I’ll just have a portion of fried cod fish!)

– "Weet jij het verschil tussen een garnaal, een gamba, en een scampi?" – "Joost mag het weten…schaaldieren zijn niet mijn specialiteit…"
("Do you know the difference between a prawn, a gamba, and a scampi?" – "Heaven only knows…crustaceans are not my speciality…")

Expressions:
– "Zo stoned als een garnaal": stoned to the bone, very stoned. Lit.: as stoned as a shrimp.

Example:
– "Het loopt de spuigaten uit: Frank is iedere avond zo stoned als een garnaal…" – "Dat komt omdat hij iedere avond met z’n blotebillengezicht bij vrouwen een blauwtje loopt…"
("It’s getting out of hand: Frank is stoned to the bone every night…" – "That’s because he’s turned down every night by women because of his pudding face…")

Related words:
– Kreeft: lobster [noun] [de kreeft, de kreeften].

– Krab: crab [noun] [de krab, de krabben].
– Schaaldier: crustacean [noun] [het schaaldier, de schaaldieren].

Extra:
Check out this episode (in Dutch) of "Keuringsdienst van waarde", a Dutch television programme in which food and food chains are examined, and this time the gamba is subject of investigation…

door
[noun]
[de deur, de deur-en]

A "deur" is a "door", plain and simple! There are quite some expressions with door, though. You can use them a lot in daily conversation. When you open a door, you use the verb "openen" or "opendoen", when you close or shut a door, you use the verb "sluiten" or "dichtdoen".

Examples:
– "Gozer! Kom binnen en doe de deur dicht!" 
("Dude! Come on in and close the door!")

– "Mam, er staat een vreemde man aan de deur…" 
("Mum, there’s a strange man at the door…")

– "Kan iemand mij uitleggen waarom deze sleutel niet op deze deur past?" 
("Can somebody explain to my why this key doesn’t fit this door?")

Expressions:
– "Dat doet de deur dicht": that does it, that’s the last straw.
– "Met de deur in huis vallen": to get down to business at once, to come straight to the point.

Example:
– "Om met de deur in huis te vallen: dat naveltruitje kan echt niet."
("To come straight to the point: that crop top is a no go.")

– "Zo gek als een deur": as crazy as a loon, very crazy.
– "De deur uitgaan": to leave the house.
– "Iemand de deur wijzen": to show a person the door.
– "Een open deur (intrappen)": (to hammer on) an open door. (Lit.: to kick in…)

Example:
– "Het leven wordt steeds duurder…" – "Beetje een open deur, niet?"
("Life is getting more and more expensive…" – "Bit of an open door, isn’t it?")

– "Buiten de deur": out of the house/office.
– "Achter gesloten deuren": Behind closed doors.
– "Voor een gesloten deur staan": to find the door locked.
– "De deur uit!": out with you!
– "Aan de deur wordt niet gekocht": no hawkers.
– "Voor de deur staan": to be imminent.

Example:
– "De grootste crisis die we ooit zullen kennen staat voor de deur" – "De geschiedenis zal het leren…"
("The biggest crisis we’ll ever know is imminent." – "History will tell…")

Related words:
– Deurbel: doorbell [noun] [de deurbel, de deurbellen].
– Klink: door handle [noun] [de klink, de klinken].
– Huis: house [noun] [het huis, de huizen].
– Raam: window [noun] [het raam, de ramen].
– Dak: roof [noun] [het dak, de daken].
– Sleutel: key [noun] [de sleutel, de sleutels].
– Slot: lock [noun] [het slot, de sloten].
– Deurbeleid: door policy [noun] [het deurbeleid, <no plural>].

navel, belly button
[noun]
[de na-vel, de na-vels]

Although it’s not quite the season for crop tops, today’s word is “navel” (“belly button”). As in English, Dutch “navel” can also be used when referring to the navel of oranges, and in some cases when referring to the center of the world (see ‘Extra’).

Examples:
– “De navel is het litteken dat overblijft na het verwijderen van de navelstreng.” 
(“The belly button is the mark that remains after removal of the navel string.”)

– “Toen de metaaldetector afging, vroeg de beveiligingsbeambte of ik misschien een navelpiercing had.”
(“When the metal detector went off, the security guard asked me if I happened to have a navelpiercing.”)

– “Mensen met overgewicht kunnen soms hun eigen navel niet meer zien.”
(“Overweight people can sometimes no longer see their own belly button.”)

Related words:
– Navelsinaasappel: navel orange [noun] [de navelsinaasappel, de navelsinaasappels].
– Navelstaren: to be (consumed by being) focused on oneself [verb] [navelstaarde, heb navelgestaard].

Example:
– “Denk toch ook eens aan anderen in plaats van dat eeuwige navelstaren!”
(“Think about someone else for a change instead of always thinking of yourself!”)

– Naveltruitje: crop top [noun] [het naveltruitje, de naveltruitjes].
– Navelstreng: umbilical cord, navel string [noun] [de navelstreng, de navelstrengen].

fog, mist
[noun]
[de mist, de mist-en]

The autumn is a misty season…you may want to use the "mistlampen" (fog lights) of your car more often now. Check out the Dutch rules on the use of fog lights in Extra.

Examples:
– "Files door mist en ongelukken." 
("Fog and accidents cause traffic jams." Lit.: "Traffic jams due to fog and accidents.")

– "Pas op voor mist onderweg naar Maastricht…" 
("Beware of fog on the way to Maastricht…")

– "De mist is zo dik, ik kan mijn tenen niet meer zien!" – "Dat slaat helemaal nergens op…"
("The fog is so thick, I can’t see my toes any more!" – "That makes no sense at all…")

Expressions:
– "De mist ingaan": to come to nothing, to fail, to flop.

Example:
– "Franks presentatie ging ongelofelijk de mist in, ik heb nog nooit iemand zo zien falen, echt kansloos!"
("Frank’s presentation was an incredible flop, I’ve never seen anybody fail like that, really hopeless!")

Related words:
– Misten: to be foggy/misty [verb] [misten, mistte, h. gemist].
– Mistig: foggy, misty [adjective].
– Mistbank: fog bank, patch of fog [noun] [de mistbank, de mistbanken].
– Mistlamp: fog light [noun] [de mistlamp, de mistlampen].
– Wolk: cloud [noun] [de wolk, de wolken].
– Smog: smog [noun] [de smog, <no plural>].
– Nevel: haze, spray, mist, nebula [noun] [de nevel, de nevels/nevelen].

Extra:
In the Netherlands, the following rules apply for the use of fog lights: the fog lights at the front of a vehicle can be used during fog, snowfall and rain when visibility is less than 200 meters. The fog light at the rear of a vehicle can only be used when visibility is less than 50 meters due to very thick fog or heavy snowfall. (On the Dutch highways, the latter implies that the next "hectometerpaaltje" (see Mijlpaal) becomes visible after you’ve passed the previous "hectometerpaaltje"…this weather condition is quite rare…)