buiten de boot vallen
Meaning: To be left out or excluded from a group or activity.
Language: Dutch
Literally: to fall outside the boat
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The phrase pictures people in a boat leaving someone behind in the water—a vivid image of abandonment and exclusion from the safety and fellowship of the group.
More idioms — Daily Life
- ga toch fietsen — A rude dismissal telling someone to go away.
- niet veel zaaks — Unimpressive or mediocre; not worth much.
- veel noten op zijn zang hebben — To be demanding or to offer many critical comments.
- stoom afblazen — (Already vivid in English).
- het heft in eigen handen nemen — To take control of a situation or seize the initiative.
- achter slot en grendel — imprisoned or confined.
More Dutch idioms
- in de wind slaan — To deliberately ignore or disregard something.
- niet veel soeps — Unimpressive or mediocre; not worth much.
- in de kiem smoren — To nip something in the bud; to stop a problem before it grows.
- voet bij stuk houden — To stand firm and refuse to give in to pressure or threats.
- bittere pil — something unpleasant or difficult that one must accept.
- op zijn bord krijgen — to be assigned a task or burden.
From our compliments & insults
- Espèce de patate — You dim bulb — a potato being the very picture of inert, unthinking stodginess.
- Quel râleur / quelle râleuse — You never stop moaning — everything is a complaint, nothing is ever good enough.
- Peau de vache — A mean, difficult, and unpleasant person — tough and unyielding like tanned hide.