IdiomDaily Life
Dutch
Dutchvan de oude stempel
Meaning: old-fashioned or adhering to outdated styles and ways of thinking.
Literally: Of the old stamp
Example: “Onze huisarts is nog een dokter van de oude stempel.” — Our family doctor is still a doctor of the old school.
English equivalent: Of the old school
Equivalents in other languages
English: of the old school
Origin: Stempel is the die used to strike coins, as Stoett explains: something van de oude stempel was first a coin of the old minting, and then a person of the old sort, usually with the idea of solid and honest. English says "of the old stamp," and German vom alten Schrot und Korn (of the old weight and fineness), another coin image.
More Dutch idioms
- 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.
- alleen de rozijnen uitpikken to select only the best or most desirable items while ignoring the rest.
- roet in het eten gooien to spoil or ruin a plan, event, or situation by introducing an unwelcome disruption.
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