IdiomBody & Senses
Dutch
Dutchiets in je oren knopen
Meaning: To make someone pay close attention to what you are saying, implying they should remember it well.
Literally: To knot something into your ears
Example: “Knoop dit in je oren: nooit zwemmen na het eten.” — Mark my words: never swim right after eating.
English equivalent: Mark my words
Origin: To knot something into one's ears is to fix it firmly in one's memory. Stoett finds the phrase only from the 19th century and compares German sich etwas hinter die Ohren schreiben (to write something behind one's ears), which Dutch also had; the form achter de oren knopen blends the two. No particular story lies behind it.
Equivalents in other languages
Russian: Зарубить на носу (Zarubit' na nosu) Literally: To notch it on your nose
English: mark my words
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- een lans breken To take up someone's cause or defend a position publicly.
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