IdiomDaily Life
Dutch
Dutchveel noten op zijn zang hebben
Meaning: To be demanding or to offer many critical comments.
Literally: To have many notes on one's song
Example: “Die klant heeft veel noten op zijn zang: alles moet anders.” — That customer is very demanding: everything has to be changed.
Origin: From singing, as Carolus Tuinman explained in 1726 (quoted by Stoett): it is said "of a capricious and difficult head that makes a great fuss," taken from "the notes of music, which on some tunes are very many." Someone whose song has many notes has a lot to say and a lot of demands. The phrase is already in a proverb collection of around 1550.
More Dutch idioms
- voet bij stuk houden To stand firm and refuse to give in to pressure or threats.
- een bittere pil something unpleasant or difficult that one must accept.
- op zijn bord krijgen to be assigned a task or burden.
- met de kippen op stok gaan to go to bed very early, at sunset.
- vuur met vuur bestrijden to counter a harmful action using the same method or intensity.
- uit de hand lopen to become uncontrolled or chaotic.
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