De kat uit de boom kijken
Meaning: To wait cautiously before committing.
Language: Dutch
Literally: To watch the cat out of the tree
Category: Animals
Origin: One waits for a wary cat to climb down on its own rather than forcing it, picturing patient caution.
Equivalents in other languages
- Catalan: Anar a pams — literally: To go by hand-spans
- Japanese: 石橋を叩いて渡る (Ishibashi o tataite wataru) — literally: To tap a stone bridge before crossing
More idioms — Animals
- De koe bij de horens vatten — To tackle a problem head-on.
- Κάνω την πάπια — To feign ignorance; to play dumb.
- Att göra en pudel — To make a public, groveling apology.
- Robić kogoś w konia — To make a fool of or trick someone.
- Å svelge noen kameler — To make big concessions and accept what you dislike.
- Å ha en høne å plukke med noen — To have a bone to pick with someone.
More Dutch idioms
- Iets voor zoete koek aannemen — To swallow a story uncritically.
- Met de gebakken peren zitten — To be stuck with the unpleasant aftermath.
- Een appeltje voor de dorst — Savings put by for hard times.
- Met de mond vol tanden staan — To be tongue-tied and lost for words.
- De dans ontspringen — To narrowly escape trouble.
- hoe de vork in de steel zit — to understand the real situation or hidden mechanics of something.