Category Archives: DWOTD 1.0

Original DWOTD post 2006 – 2013

Flitser

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camera flash, speed control Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[de flit-ser, de flit-sers]

When you drive on the Dutch highways, you’d better listen to the radio to get to know where you can expect speed controls. The machines registrating your speed are called "flitsers" or "flitspalen" ("flash-poles", see picture), derived from the verb "flitsen" ("to flash"); the machine gives a flashlight when it takes a picture of your license plate. You can also find many "flitsers" at traffic lights. These "flitsers" mostly check if you ignore a red traffic light. Besides speed controls on a fixed location, the police also controls speed on locations that vary each day. A "flitser" also denotes a flash on a camera.  Flitser_3

Examples:
– "Er wordt geflitst op de A2 richting Amsterdam bij hectometerpaaltje 34.6." 
("There is a speed control on the A2 in the direction of Amsterdam at hectometerpole 34.6.")

– "Op de A9 staat een mobiel flitsteam bij knooppunt Kleinpolderplein." 
("There is a mobile speed-control team at junction Kleinpolderplein on the A9.")

– "Volgens mij werd ik geflitst toen ik door rood reed… weer een boete." 
("I think that the flashpole registrated my license plate when I went through that red traffic light… another fine."  [Lit.: "I think I was flashed when I drove through red …"])Flitser2_2

– "Als het donker is kun je beter een foto maken met flitser." 
("When it’s dark it’s better to take a picture using flash.")

Related words:
– Flitsen: to flash [verb] [flitste, geflitst].
– Flitspaal: flash-pole, pole registrating your license plate when you speed or drive through a red traffic light [de flitspaal, de flitspalen].
– Stoplicht: traffic light [het stoplicht, de stoplichten].

Aardig

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1. nice, friendly, pleasant, kind Iconspeaker_3
Glimlach
[adjective/adverb]
[aar-dig]

Examples:
– "Heb jij een aardige leidinggevende?" – "Niet echt, maar hij/zij is er toch nooit!" 
("Do you have a friendly supervisor/boss/manager?" – "Not really, but he/she is never there anyway!")

– "Ik vind haar niet zo aardig; ze maakt de hele tijd van die botte opmerkingen!" 
("I don’t like her/ I don’t think she is that nice; all the time she makes such blunt/curt remarks!")

– "Wat aardig van je dat je me wil helpen!" 
("How nice of you to offer help! / that you want to help me!")

– "Hij glimlacht heel aardig, maar toch vertrouw ik hem niet!"
("He has a charming smile, but still I do not trust him!" Lit. "He smiles friendly"…)

Related words:
– Vriendelijk: friendly, nice [adjective/adverb].

2. fair(ly), pretty, nice(ly) Iconspeaker_3
[adjective/adverb]
[aar-dig]

"Aardig" can also imply that something is substantial, of considerable size, volume, quality etc.

Examples:
– "Volgens mij heeft mijn neef een aardig inkomen, want hij heeft al weer een nieuwe auto gekocht!" 
("I believe my cousin must have a decent income, because he bought yet another car!")

– "Ik heb mijn aandelen verkocht en ondanks de crisis heb ik toch een aardig bedrag verdiend." 
("I sold my shares and despite the crisis, I still earned quite a good sum.")

– "Hij spreekt een aardig woordje over de grens." 
("He speaks quite a few foreign languages.")

– "Het heeft afgelopen nacht aardig hard geregend." 
("Last night it rained quite a bit.")

– "Wat vind je van mijn schilderij?" – "Eh… niet onaardig!" 
("What do you think of my painting?" – "Ehm… not bad!")

– "Mijn tante doet tegenwoordig aan Tae Bo en ze is al aardig wat kilo’s kwijt!" 
("My aunt practises Tae Bo these days and she has lost quite some weight already!" Literally "…lost quite a few kilos". Note the use of "aardig wat …": "quite a few / quite some …")

Je gooit er met de pet naar

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you don’t make an effort, you don’t really try Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Ergens met de pet naar gooien" is "to make a half-hearted attempt" to finish a job or task because you Pet don’t feel like doing it. When someone’s not committed to something, and therefore only finishes half of the job or does a very poor job, you can say: "Hij/zij gooit er met de pet naar", which literally translated to : "He/she is throwing the hat at it". Phrases with a similar meaning as "ergens met de pet naar gooien" are "niet je best doen" ("not try your best") or "ergens lak aan hebben" ("not care about something").

Examples:
– "Ze heeft haar studie nooit afgemaakt; vanaf het begin gooide ze er met de pet naar." 
("She never finished her studies; from the start she was not really committed to it.")

– "Ik denk dat zijn contract niet wordt verlengd want hij gooit er met de pet naar." 
("I don’t think that his contract will be renewed because he’s not really committed [to the job].")

– "Zodra de voetballers wisten dat ze de wedstrijd niet meer konden winnen, gooiden ze er met de pet naar." 
("As soon as the soccer players knew that they couldn’t win the match anymore, they didn’t make an effort.")

– "Elk klusje dat je aan haar geeft moet je zelf overdoen – ze gooit er echt met de pet naar." 
("Every task that you give to her you’ll have redo yourself – she really does a poor job.")

Expressions:
– "Ergens lak aan hebben": to not care about something.
– "Je best doen": to do one’s best.

Related words:
– Pet: hat [noun] [de pet, de petten].

Knutselen

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to do some home improvement activities, D.I.Y., to tinker away at, to fiddle with  Iconspeaker_3
[verb]
[knut-se-len, knut-sel-de, ge-knut-seld]

There’s not really an exact equivalent in English for "knutselen". It varies from a handyman doing some home improvement, Do It Yourself chores, or children fiddling with paper, scissor and crayons…Knutsel

Examples:
– "Nina heeft een mooie collage geknutseld op school." 
("Nina has made a beautiful collage at school.")

– "Waar is Frank?" – "Hij is aan het knutselen in het tuinhuisje."
("Where is Frank?" – "He’s doing some home improvement in the garden house.")

– "Theo heeft het hele weekend besteed aan het knutselen aan zijn fiets." 
("Theo has spent the entire weekend on fiddling with his bike.")

Related words:
– Knippen: to cut, to use a scissor [verb] [knipte, geknipt].
– Plakken: to paste, to stick [verb] [plakte, geplakt].
– Kleuren: to colour [verb] [kleurde, gekleurd].
– Prutser: screw up <person> [noun] [de prutser, de prutsers].

Example:
– "Frank is een totale prutser."
("Frank is a total screw up.")

– Prutsen: to blunder, to be messing things up [verb] [prutste, geprutst].
– Verprutsen: to mess up [verb] [verprutste, verprutst].

Verhullen

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to conceal (from), to mask, to cloak/veil Iconspeaker_3
[verb]
[ver-hul-len, ver-hul-de, ver-huld]

Forensische_tent2_2
"Verhullen" can be used both literally and figuratively.

Examples:
– "Het kasteel was volledig verhuld door de mist." 
("The castle was completely concealed by the mist.")

– "Met niets verhullende foto’s choqueerde de krant haar lezers." 
("With revealing pictures, the newspaper shocked its readers.")

– "Het valt me op dat Frank zich vaak in verhullende termen uitdrukt." 
("I have noticed that Frank often expresses himself in masked terms.")

– "De werkzaamheden van de forensische experts werden verhuld voor het publiek door een afscheiding." 
("The
work done by the forensic experts was concealed from the audienc by a
fence." Contrary to what is practised in the popular tv series, Dutch
CSI experts usually put up a tent that covers the crime scene.)

– "Zolang ze maar niet de waarheid verhullen, vind ik het best!" 
("As long as they do not conceal the truth it’s fine with me!")

Related words:
– Verbergen: to hide, conceal, cover up [verb] [verborg, verborgen].
– Verhulling: concealment [noun] [de verhulling, de verhullingen].

Example:
– "Hoe noem je zo’n tent die ze gebruiken bij forensisch onderzoek?" – "Ik weet het niet, een verhullingstent??"
("What do you call one of those tents that they use when doing forensic research?" – "I don’t know, a concealment tent??")

– Verstoppen: to hide [verb] [verstopte, verstopt].