over de brug komen
Meaning: to hand over money or pay what is owed.
Language: Dutch
Literally: to come over the bridge
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Origin uncertain; the phrase may picture crossing a bridge as a threshold to settlement or delivery, as if the bridge marks the point of transfer.
More idioms — Daily Life
- van de oude stempel — old-fashioned or adhering to outdated styles and ways of thinking.
- hout snijden — to be convincing or logically sound; to hold up under scrutiny.
- de teerling is geworpen — an irrevocable decision has been made; the course of action is now set in motion.
- een loopje nemen — to deceive or trick someone.
- bij de les blijven — to remain focused and attentive; to keep one's composure.
- in de wieg gelegd zijn — To have a natural talent or aptitude for something from birth.
More Dutch idioms
- in het water vallen — for a plan or undertaking to fail or fall through.
- uit de voeten maken — to flee or scram hastily.
- 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.
- water bij de wijn doen — to compromise or make a concession in a dispute or negotiation.
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.