Comments on: Bird is the word

By: Anonymous Doughboy

Anonymous Doughboy — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 22:37:13 +0000

Kommt ein Mann zu Hause, trifft er seine Frau mit seinem besten Freund ins Bett. Er greift den Freund und wirft ihm aus das Fenster, während er ihm nachschreit: «wer fögeln kann, kann auch fliegen!»

By: René

René — Fri, 27 May 2005 19:12:47 +0000

Ewoud Sanders wrote a book with 750 Dutch terms for ‘borrel’: “Borrelwoordenboek, 750 volksnamen voor onze glazen boterham”. You can find a part of his list on lambda.radiotequila.be/synoniemen.htm.

By: Serge

Serge — Fri, 27 May 2005 19:01:07 +0000

The closest thing in English to a “borrel” is “to have a snifter” (referring specifically to a cognac glass), but it still doesn’t quite get there.

By: Natashka

Natashka — Fri, 27 May 2005 14:51:23 +0000

Please find clipping! A borrel is a drink, and borrel the occasion is happy hour, or something like that, depending heavily on where you’re from. In French, it’s having “a glass” (prendre un verre). As for words relating to drinking, IMHO the Russian take the cake. I still like zuipen.

The words related to “kater” are also interesing. In Québec, they have special words for that

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 27 May 2005 14:45:29 +0000

English really needs a word like ‘borrel’, though, doesn’t it? Something more substantial than ‘cocktail (party)’ and less prosaic than ‘drink’.

Somewhere I have a newspaper clipping listing 100+ colloquial Dutch terms for ‘alcoholic beverage’ (borrel, neut, hassebassie, pikketanus, etc.). Tells you something about the culture, eh?

By: René

René — Thu, 26 May 2005 23:01:59 +0000

Het voorbeeld van de ‘garden beurt’ en de reactie van Stefan deden me denken aan het gedicht ‘Taalbarrière’ van Kees Torn:

Ik schrok een beetje van de prijs
die meer dan honderd pond beliep
terwijl ik net die speelgoedsijs
had horen zingen: “cheap, cheap, cheap!”

By: Natashka

Natashka — Thu, 26 May 2005 17:15:53 +0000

Worst-kaas scenario…

By: Serge

Serge — Thu, 26 May 2005 16:59:41 +0000

Larry — back home, my family had tons of those Dunglish puns, like “Ik vrees de worst”, “Jenever Kentel”, and “Amerika is een leuk land: je naait ‘t steeds!” Unfortunately, my wife and children don’t speak Dutch, so most of that stuff is completely lost on them (and explaining doesn’t do much good, either). Of course, we had a few good ones in other languages, too, like the pun on that famous wine, “Chateauneuf du Pape”: Soixante-neuf du Pape (the pope’s “69″).

By: Natashka

Natashka — Thu, 26 May 2005 13:47:41 +0000

I meant here and then hear and then two clients called

By: ivon

ivon — Thu, 26 May 2005 13:38:57 +0000

Natashka: I often here [...]
I hope that was intentional?