Op deze pagina kun je ruim 3000 Engelse uitdrukkingen, spreekwoorden en gezegden opzoeken, met een verklaring in het Nederlands. Het zijn de uitdrukkingen die worden gebruikt door Engelse en Amerikaanse jongeren. Zoekopdrachten die geen resultaat opleveren worden opgeslagen, zodat we ons bestand kunnen aanvullen.
Pas overigens op met het gebruik van spreekwoorden. Het is goed om ze te kennen, maar als je ze te veel gebruikt klink je net als je oma. Ook trendy uitdrukkingen kunnen link zijn: wat vandaag ziek is, is morgen sneu.
watch out for
pas op
watch out for bats in the caves; many have rabies
watch over
letten op
the lecturer watched over the students as they did the experiment
watching paint dry
oersaai
if something is like watching paint dry, it is really boring
water off a duck's back
van je afglijden
if criticism is like water off a duck's back, people aren't affected by it in the slightest
water under the bridge
zand erover
something that belongs to the past and isn't important any more
watering hole
kroeg
a watering hole is a pub
watery grave
verdronken
if someone has gone to a watery grave, they have drowned
way to go
goed zo
way to go means you have done well
weak at the knees
slappe knieën
if people go weak at the knees, they have an emotional reaction to something
wear a plastic smile
een neplach
when people appear to be happier than they actually are
wear away
slijten
the lawn has been worn away by people walking across it
wear belt and braces
zonder risico
someone who wears belt and braces is very cautious and takes no risks
wear down
afpeigeren
the stress of my job is wearing me down
wear off
uitwerken
the anaesthetic wore off and my tooth started hurting
wear out
verslijten
she used the car so many times that she wore the thing out
wear your heart on your sleeve
je hart op je tong dragen
someone who wears their heart on their sleeve shows their emotions and feelings publicly
weather a storm
een crisis overwinnen
if you weather a storm, you get through a crisis or hard times
weight off your shoulders
een pak van je hart
when you have relieved yourself of something that has been troubling you
well-heeled
goed voorzien
someone who is well-heeled is rich
well-oiled
in de olie zijn
if someone is well-oiled, they have drunk a lot
well-oiled machine
goed geoliede machine
something that functions very well is a well-oiled machine
were you born in a barn?
in de kerk geboren
if someone asks you this, it means that you forgot to close the door when you came in
wet behind the ears
nog niet droog achter je oren
someone who is wet behind the ears is either very young or inexperienced
wet blanket
koude douche
a wet blanket is someone who tries to spoil other people's fun
wet your whistle
je keel smeren
if you are thirsty and have an alcoholic drink, you wet your whistle
whale of a time
geweldige tijd
if you have a whale of a time, you really enjoy yourself
what can sorry do?
aan sorry heb ik niets
this means that it is not enough to apologise
what can you expect?
dat was te verwachten
what can you expect means that you could have known
what do I know
weet ik veel
when you don't know and don't care
what does that have to do with it?
wat heeft dat er mee te maken?
when someone says something irrelevant to the topic being discussed