Lekkerbek

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deep-fried cod, epicure [noun] [de lekkerbek, de lekkerbekken] Iconspeaker_3

Lekkerbek_2"Lekkerbek" consists of "lekker", which means good (as in "tasty") and "bek", which means "beak" (for a bird) or "mouth". "Bek" is mostly used informally or in a vulgar way, check out the example with the Related words.

"Lekkerbek" is the popular name for codfish wrapped in dough and deep-fried, but is also used for someone who really appreciates food. The Dutch word for codfish is "kabeljauw".

Examples:
– "In Scheveningen kun je het hele jaar door lekkerbekken eten." 
("You can eat codfish warpped in dough all year long in Scheveningen.")

– "Hij is een echte lekkerbek, hij eet het liefst de hele dag." 
("He is a real epicure, he prefers eating all day long".)

Related words:
– Lekker: good [adjective/adverb].

Example:
– "Het eten in dat Thaise restaurant is superlekker." 
("The food in that Thai restaurant is outstanding.")

– Bek: beak [noun] [de bek, de bekken].

Example:
– "Ik word helemaal gek van je; houd je bek!" 
("You’re
driving me nuts; shut up!" Please note this is a rude way of asking
someone to keep quiet. Parents tell their children to shut up in a
slightly more polite way: "houd je mond!", meaning "shut your mouth!")

– Mond: mouth [noun] [de mond, de monden].

Extra:
Please note that "lekker" can be
used for almost everything: food, drinks, weather, people, how you
feel, etc. Since the use of "lekker" is so diverse, we’ll devote a separate
DWOTD to it. Check the DWOTD "Lekker belangrijk" to get started.

Ho eens even!

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Not so fast! / Now just a minute! / Hold it right there! [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

Ho
The word "ho" is an interjection. You can use it when you want to say "stop!". It is the typical thing to say to a horse if you want it to stop, but if you don’t ride a horse, you can use it when somebody is pouring you wine and you have had enough. Not that I ever do so 😉

"Ho eens even" is typically used when somebody is going to fast, literally or figuratively, or when you want somebody to realize that this is not how things are done.

Examples:
– "Ho eens even meneer, u hebt nog niet betaald!" 
("Hold it right there sir, you haven’t paid yet!")

 – "Ho eens even, nu draaf je door; de kredietcrisis heeft hier niets mee te maken!" 
("Now just a minute, you are rattling on. The financial crisis has nothing to do with this!")

– "Mevrouw, ho eens even! Ik sta al veel langer in de rij te wachten dan u!" 
("Not so fast madam! I have been waiting in line / queueing a lot longer than you (have)!")

Related words:
– Ho!: stop! [interjection].
– Stoppen: to stop [verb] [stopte, gestopt].
– Doorgaan: to continue [verb] [ging door, doorgegaan].

Onverkwikkelijk

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unpleasant, distasteful, sordid [adjective] Iconspeaker_3

"Onverkwikkelijk" is quite formal and has a negative connotation. The synonymous "naar" (unpleasant) and "vervelend" (unfortunate) are less formal, but sometimes it’s just fun to use a formal word;-)

Examples:
– "Herinner je je nog dat seksschandaal?"- "Ja, een onverkwikkelijke affaire…"Ny_nyp0311

("Do you still remember that sex scandal?" – "Yes, a sordid affair…")

– "Ober, er zit een vlieg in mijn soep."  – "Dat is uitermate onverkwikkelijk meneer. Mijn nederige excuses."
("Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup." – "That is most unpleasant sir. My humble apologies.")

– "Jongen, ik ben bezig met een gedicht voor pakjesavond, wat rijmt op ‘verschrikkelijk‘ ?" – "Nou, wat denk je van ‘onverkwikkelijk’ ?"
("Dude,
I’m working on a poem for Sinterklaas evening, what rhymes with
‘verschrikkelijk’ ?  – "Well, how about ‘onverkwikkelijk’ ?")

Related words:
– Vervelend: unfortunate, annoying [adjective].
– Naar: unpleasant [adjective].

Example:
– "Wat een nare man, die billenknijper."
("What an unpleasant man, that bottom squeezer.")

Grappig

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funny, amusing, comical, humorous [adverb/adjective] Iconspeaker_3

Grappig
Derived from the noun "grap" ("joke"), "grappig" can be used as an adverb and an adjective. Its usage can also be ironical (which should be clear from context).

Examples:
– "Dit is niet grappig!" 
("This is not funny/amusing!")

– "Het spijt me, het was bedoeld als een grappige opmerking!" – "Laat maar, het geeft niet!"
("I’m sorry, I meant it jokingly / it was meant to be a funny remark!" – "Forget about it, it’s OK!")

– "Denk je dat je grappig bent ofzo?" 
("Do you think you’re funny (or something)?")

– "Sorry, maar ik zie niet in wat daar nu zo grappig aan is!" 
("I’m sorry, but I fail to see what is so funny about that!")

– "Echt een heel grappige film, ik raad hem je zeker aan!" 
("Really a very funny movie, I definitely recommend it (to you)." Be aware that "heel" is used here as an adverb (to "grappige"), hence it is not declined; this is a common mistake Dutch people make.)

– "<ironisch:> Grappig hoor!" 
(<ironically:> "Funny!! (Not)." / "Very amusing…") Note that you can also say this when you don’t mean it ironically.)

– "Wat een leuke speech van Frank, hij bracht het heel grappig!" 
("What an amusing speech by Frank, he presented it very humorously." Usage of the noun "speech" is common in Dutch. Note the use of the verb "brengen" in the meaning of "to present/perform".)

Related words:
– Grap(je): joke [noun] [de grap, de grappen].
– Leuk: nice, funny [adverb/adjective].
– Grappen maken: to make jokes, to joke [verb] [maakte grappen, grappen gemaakt].
– Grappenmaker: funnyman / funny ladey, joker [noun] [de grappenmaker, de grappenmakers].
– Grapjas: see ‘grappenmaker’.

Niks

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nothing [indefinite pronoun] Iconspeaker_3

"Niks" means "nothing" (or "not […] anything"). A synonym for
"niks" is "niets". Its antonym is found easily by omitting the ‘n’:
"iets" means "something". "Niks" on the other hand does not have a
similar antonym ("iks" does not exist).

Examples:
– "Ik snap er niks van hoe Dubai maar blijft groeien en groeien." 
("I don’t understand how Dubai just keeps on growing and growing.")

– "Is er iets, je bent zo stil?" – "Nee, (er is) niks / er is niks aan de hand."  Niks_6
("Is something wrong, you are so quiet?" "No, (there’s) nothing".)

– "<Tegel rechts:> Als je niks te doen hebt, doe het dan niet hier." 
("<Tile on the right:> If you don’t have anything to do, then don’t do it here.")

– "Ik ben al 3 maanden een baan aan het zoeken maar heb nog steeds niks gevonden."
("I have been looking for a job for three months now and I still haven’t found anything.")

– "Waarom neem je die baan in Muscat niet? Je hebt niks te verliezen!" 
("Why don’t you take that job in Muscat? You have nothing to lose!")

Expressions:
– "Niks mee te maken!": that’s not relevant at all!

Example:
– "Sorry dat ik je verjaardagsdiner vergeten ben maar ik had het echt heel druk." – "Niks mee te maken!"
("Sorry I forgot your birthday-diner but I was really busy." "That’s not relevant at all!")

– "Voor niks gaat de zon op": everything has a cost (Lit.: For nothing rises the sun).

Example:
– "Het was te goed om waar te zijn, en inderdaad: voor niks gaat de zon op."
("It was too good to true, and indeed: everything has a cost.")

Related words:
– Niets: nothing [adverb].
– Iets: something [adverb].