Dutchweten waar Abraham de mosterd haalt
Meaning: To be well-informed or knowledgeable about how things really work.
Literally: To know where Abraham gets the mustard
Example: “Vraag het aan de conciërge; hij weet waar Abraham de mosterd haalt.” — Ask the caretaker; he's in the know.
English equivalent: To be in the know
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: Estar en el ajo Literally: To be in the garlic
English: be in the know
Origin: Onze Taal sets out three explanations. Most proverb dictionaries, Stoett among them, take Abraham as any man and the mustard as real mustard: in the 17th century om mosterd gaan (to go for mustard) meant running an errand, so someone who knew where Abraham fetches the mustard knew their way around. The better-known story that mosterd is a corruption of mutsaard, the bundle of firewood Abraham carried to sacrifice Isaac, is unlikely, since the word never appears in the Bible story. A third view points to German wissen, wo Barthel den Most holt (to know where Barthel gets the new wine).
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