Het regent pijpenstelen

Meaning: It is raining very heavily.

Language: Dutch

Literally: It's raining pipe stems

Category: Nature

Origin: Heavy straight rods of rain reminded the Dutch of the long clay stems of old smoking pipes hammering down.

More idioms — Nature

• 胸有成竹 — To have a well-formed plan ready before you begin.
• Τρώω κουτόχορτο — To act like an idiot, as if drugged into stupidity.
• Découvrir le pot aux roses — To uncover a hidden secret.
• Once in a blue moon — Very rarely.
• To break the ice — To ease the initial tension in a social situation.
• To give a wide berth — To keep well away from someone or something.

More Dutch idioms

• Iets met de Franse slag doen — To do it carelessly and half-heartedly.
• De kat uit de boom kijken — To wait cautiously before committing.
• Iets voor zoete koek aannemen — To swallow a story uncritically.
• Met de gebakken peren zitten — To be stuck with the unpleasant aftermath.
• De koe bij de horens vatten — To tackle a problem head-on.
• Een appeltje voor de dorst — Savings put by for hard times.

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