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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.

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