in het water vallen
Meaning: for a plan or undertaking to fail or fall through.
Language: Dutch
Literally: to fall in the water
Category: Nature
Origin: Origin uncertain; the phrase pictures something dropping into water and being lost or ruined.
More idioms — Nature
- in de kiem smoren — To nip something in the bud; to stop a problem before it grows.
- vuur met vuur bestrijden — to counter a harmful action using the same method or intensity.
- ta sig vatten över huvudet — Get in over one's head; take on more than one can manage.
- tidens tand — The slow decay and wearing away of things through the passage of time, the gradual damage…
- djungelns lag — Survival of the fittest; a state of lawlessness where brutal competition and violence det…
- gräva sin egen grav — To cause one's own ruin or downfall through foolish actions.
More Dutch idioms
- uit de voeten maken — to flee or scram hastily.
- van de oude stempel — old-fashioned or adhering to outdated styles and ways of thinking.
- 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.
- hout snijden — to be convincing or logically sound; to hold up under scrutiny.
From our compliments & insults
- 石頭 (Ishiatama) — A stubborn, inflexible person who won't budge.
- Tu as du chien — You have a certain irresistible magnetism — a je-ne-sais-quoi that draws people in.
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules — You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.