- Onder de pet houden
- Literal Translation: "To keep under the hat."
- Meaning: "To cover up something that cannot see the light of day."
- Om de haverklap
- Literal Translation: "Every flail on the oats."
- Meaning: "Very often."
- Oost west, thuis best.
- Literal Translation: "East West, home best."
- Meaning: No matter where you travel, it's always great to come home.
- English Equivalent: "Home sweet home."
- Op alle slakken zout leggen.
- Literal Translation: "Putting salt on every snail."
- Meaning: "Looking for all of the smallest errors to comment on."
- Op de neus kijken.
- Literal Translation: "Looking down at one's nose."
- Meaning: "Being disappointed."
- Op elk potje past een dekseltje.
- Literal Translation: "Every little pot has a fitting lid."
- Meaning: "There's a solution for every situation. [or] There's a fitting partner for any person."
- Op zwart zaad zitten.
- Literal Translation: "Sitting on black seed."
- Meaning: "Having no money at all."
- Oude wijn in nieuwe zakken.
- Literal Translation: "Old wine in new bags."
- Meaning: Nothing really new, but put in different terms.
- English Equivalent: "The same shit with other flies on it; same meat, different gravy."
- Over lijken gaan.
- Literal Translation: "Going over corpses."
- Meaning: "Going for your own target however crude the method."
- Potje breken, potje betalen.
- Literal Translation: "Break a pot, pay for a pot."
- Meaning: You have to pay for the damage you caused.
- English Equivalents: "Paying the piper for playing the tune." "You break it, you buy it."
- Parels voor de zwijnen.
- Literal Translation: "Pearls for the pigs."
- Meaning: Too much effort for those who won't or are not capable to appreciate it.
- Roeien met de riemen die je hebt.
- Literal Translation: "Rowing with the oars you have got."
- Meaning: "Making do with the means available to you."
- Spreken is zilver, zwijgen is goud.
- Literal Translation: "Speaking is silver, being silent is gold."
- Meaning: It's better to keep your silence, then to speak (for example in diplomacy or politics).
- English Equivalent: "Silence is golden."
- Spijkers op laag water zoeken.
- Literal translation: "Looking for nails at low tide."
- Meaning: Being pedantic about small details.
- English Equivalent: "Nitpicking."
- Stel niet uit tot morgen, wat gij heden kunt bezorgen.
- Literal Translation: "Don't postpone until tomorrow, what you can take care of now."
- Meaning: Don't procrastinate.
- Stevig in het zadel zitten.
- Literal translation: "Sitting securely in the saddle."
- Meaning: "Having a solid high position; not easy to overthrow."
- Storm in een glas water.
- Literal Translation: "storm in a glass of water."
- Meaning: "Making a fuss about nothing important."
- English equivalent: "Tempest in a tea pot"
- Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/
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