Dutchhoe de vork in de steel zit
Meaning: to understand the real situation or hidden mechanics of something.
Literally: How the fork sits in the handle
Example: “Na een week op kantoor wist ze precies hoe de vork in de steel zat.” — After a week in the office, she knew the score.
English equivalent: To know the score
Equivalents in other languages
English: know the score
Origin: The fork is a hayfork, as Stoett explains, and haymakers checked whether the tines sat firmly in the handle before starting work. Knowing how the fork sits in the handle is knowing how things really fit together. The phrase is in use from the 17th century, and Tuinman (1726) recorded a variant with herk (rake), noting that haymakers look whether their rakes are loose or fast on the handle so as not to be hindered in their work.
More Dutch idioms
- in het water vallen for a plan or undertaking to fail or fall through.
- zich uit de voeten maken to flee or scram hastily.
- er met een jantje-van-leiden van afmaken to perform a task carelessly, half-heartedly, or in a slipshod manner.
- met de nek aankijken to regard someone with scorn or disdain; to look down on.
- bij de duivel te biecht gaan to seek counsel or confide in someone who is untrustworthy, dangerous, or morally corrupt.
- water bij de wijn doen to compromise or make a concession in a dispute or negotiation.
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