knollen voor citroenen verkopen
Meaning: To swindle or defraud someone by passing off something worthless as valuable.
Language: Dutch
Literally: to sell turnips for lemons
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: The phrase pictures a dishonest merchant swapping a cheap, common turnip for a costly lemon to cheat a buyer.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- brood zien in — To view something as a viable or profitable business opportunity.
- weten waar Abraham de mosterd haalt — To be well-informed or knowledgeable about how things really work.
- niet veel soeps — Unimpressive or mediocre; not worth much.
- bittere pil — something unpleasant or difficult that one must accept.
- op zijn bord krijgen — to be assigned a task or burden.
- inte spotta i glaset — To willingly accept and consume alcohol when offered; to enjoy drinking.
More Dutch idioms
- in zijn oren knopen — To make someone pay close attention to what you are saying, implying they should remember…
- een lans breken — To take up someone's cause or defend a position publicly.
- de nek omdraaien — To kill or destroy someone or something, or to bring an end to a project or endeavor.
- schoon schip maken — To make a thorough reform of an organization by removing bad practices or undesirable peo…
- om zeep helpen — To kill or eliminate someone.
- gaten schieten in — To criticize someone or something harshly by pointing out flaws or contradictions.
From our compliments & insults
- Du bist ein Goldstück — You're a real gem — priceless, irreplaceable, and deeply appreciated.
- Du hast ein Händchen dafür — You have a real knack — a natural gift that makes difficult things look easy.
- Du hast Köpfchen — You're sharp and clever — you use your brain well.