The other day we were talking about the Netherlands at my work. In 2018 we visited Amsterdam with 8 of my American colleagues, which was a fun experience, but weird at the same time. I loved showing them around and play tourist in my own home country. We got into English expressions with the word Dutch in it. Some of these expressions I’ve never heard of before. I was surprised at the amount of them and they kept adding up even after was looking some of them up on the internet. Why do Americans have so many Dutch expressions?

What do the Dutch have to do with the United States?

It occurred to me that some, or most of expressions were coming from the times the Dutch came into the United States in 1609. My blog about the Dutch in New York shows when the Dutch found New York and how they left their foot prints. But I didn’t realize that Americans were still going to use the Dutch in expressions after 400 years! It seemed like the English, who took over New York City from the Dutch, tried to smear anything fake or cowardly with “Dutch”. That was the competition back then.

Going through some of these expressions, I could see, that the Dutch didn’t leave a good impression. Just by asking the Americans what they think and know of the Netherlands, brings in a lot of stereotypical points. You can find a good amount in this blog post by Rachel’s Ruminations. It was very interesting to read this and I recognized some of the comments.

But using Dutch expressions took it to a whole other level.

Dutch Expressions….not so positive.

1. Double Dutch

One of the first expressions I knew, even before I moved to the US. We played Double Dutch at my elementary school. But it can also mean, gibberish, hard to understand language. I never knew that one. A third meaning is ,using a condom and a pill at the same time.

2. To Go Dutch

I’ve heard this several times, especially when you go to a restaurant in bigger groups. Each person or each couple pays for themselves. This is about paying the fare share and not splitting the bill up evenly. In case the appetizer-only people are also paying for those expensive cocktails, the other people were having.

3. A Dutch Treat

This sounds more sarcastic, but it means almost the same thing. It happened to me once. If you go out for dinner and you assume that the person who invited you to go out would pay for the food. But in the end you are asked to pay half of it.

4. Dutch Oven

It is positive on one level. Because it is a term people here in the US use it for those heavy cast iron pots with a lid on, which I personally use a lot while making soups and my No-Knead Bread, but the term is also used for “flatulence in bed, under the covers”.

5. Dutch Courage

Never heard of this one (like many others), but I can see how the English would make fun of it. This expression means the courage you get after you had enough to drink (and I don’t mean water or tea!).

6. Dutch Agreement

This is something that could fit with #5, an agreement made by two people who are drunk and don’t remember the agreement after.

7. Dutch Uncle

Not a nice person. Someone you want to avoid. I have a bunch of Dutch uncles, but not these kinds:)

8. Dutch Wife

And while we’re talking about Dutch people, a Dutch Wife could mean several things

a) a rattan bolster used in the tropics.

b) a water bottle

c) and this is a funny one: a cheap sex doll in Japan. Why cheap? Because the Dutch are known for their stinginess, or should I say thrifty? Read more about that here.

9. In Dutch

You are in trouble if you are “in Dutch”.

10. Dutch act:

To commit suicide.

10. Dutch generosity

Stinginess.

More positive Expressions with the word Dutch

1. Dutch door:

This is a door that contains out of 2 pieces. You can open the top and bottom separately. Like this one:

2. Dutch Angle

or Dutch tilt or canted angle. This is a photography shot which puts the camera in an angle, so for example someone’s face is tilted, the horizon is not straight.

3. A flying Dutchman

A ghost ship.

4. Dutch Barn

A barn house made with typical angled roof. They used to make the roof out of straw.

5. Dutching or Dutch Betting

A widely used betting technique to reap profits.

6. Dutch hoe:

I was wondering about this, because my dad used to have a “schoffel” and I couldn’t find a garden tool like that here in the US. Funnily, they call it a Dutch hoe!

These are the English Expressions with the word “Dutch” I could find. I’m not sure if many more are used. If you have more, please let me know!!!

Danielle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.