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.
what goes around comes around
wie kaatst kan de bal verwachten
if people do bad things to other people, bad things will happen to them
what is the point
waarom zou je
what's the point of going to the cinema when you don't like what's playing
what the heck / hell
wat kan mij het schelen
when you will do something although you know you shouldn't
what the heck! / hell!
wat krijgen we nou!
expression of surprise
what will be will be
wat gebeurt, gebeurt
fate will decide the outcome of a course of events, even if action is taken to try to alter it
what's cooking?
wat is er aan de hand?
when you ask what's cooking it means you want to know what's happening
what's his face
dingetje
used when you can't remember someone's name
what's in a name
wat zegt een naam
famous quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet act ii, scene ii, lines 1-2
what's up with
wat is er met
when you ask about something odd
what's up?
hoe gaat het?
this can be used to ask 'what's wrong?' or 'how are you?'
what's your poison?
wat wil je drinken?
this is a way of asking someone what they would like to drink, especially alcohol
what's your take on that?
wat vind jij ervan?
this idiom is way of asking someone for their opinion and ideas
whatever floats your boat
wat je gelukkig maakt
when people say this, they mean that you should do whatever makes you happy
wheels fall off
in duigen vallen
when the wheels fall off something, it goes wrong or fails
when hell freezes over
met sint juttemis
an impossible or very unlikely situation or event
when in Rome, do as the Romans
je aanpassen
when you are visiting a different culture, you should follow their customs
when it rains, it pours
alle ellende komt tegelijk
when things go wrong, a lot of things go wrong at the same time
when pigs fly
met sint juttemis
you will not get something when you want it
when push comes to shove
als de nood aan de man is
when things become so bad that you must act
where there's a will, there's a way
waar een wil is, is een weg
if people really want to do something, they will manage to find a way of doing it
where there's smoke, there's fire
waar rook is, is vuur
when there is an indication or sign of something bad, usually the indication is correct
while the cat's away, the mouse will play
als de kat van huis is dansen de muizen op tafel
people whose behaviour is strictly controlled go over the top when the authority is not around
whistle for it
je kan er naar fluiten
if someone says that you can whistle for something, they are determined that you don't get it
whistle-stop tour
snelle rondreis
a whistle-stop tour is when someone visits a number of places quickly, not stopping for long
whistling in the dark
roepen in de woestijn
believe in a positive result, even though everybody else thinks otherwise
white as a sheet
bleek van schrik
a bad shock can make somebody go as white as a sheet
white as snow
puur als sneeuw
someone who is perfect or completely uncorrupted and honest
white elephant
lijk in de kast
a white elephant is an expensive burden
white lie
leugentje om bestwil
if you tell a white lie, you lie in order not to hurt someone's feelings
white-bread
doodgewoon
if something is white-bread, it is very ordinary, safe and boring