niet veel soeps
Meaning: Unimpressive or mediocre; not worth much.
Language: Dutch
Literally: not much soup
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: Origin uncertain; the image may draw on soup as a bare, minimal meal, suggesting something thin and inadequate.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- 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.
- het på gröten — Overly eager or impatient, wanting something too urgently.
- få betalt för gammal ost — To be punished or retaliated against for a past wrong, to receive belated payback.
- lika som bär — Identical or nearly identical to each other in appearance or character.
More Dutch idioms
- niet veel zaaks — Unimpressive or mediocre; not worth much.
- in de kiem smoren — To nip something in the bud; to stop a problem before it grows.
- veel noten op zijn zang hebben — To be demanding or to offer many critical comments.
- voet bij stuk houden — To stand firm and refuse to give in to pressure or threats.
- stoom afblazen — (Already vivid in English).
- het heft in eigen handen nemen — To take control of a situation or seize the initiative.
From our tongue twisters
- Liesje leerde Lotje lopen langs de lange Lindelaan. — Eight consecutive l-words, with the vowel behind the l changing every time.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. — A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
- Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. — The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.