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.
know full well
er zeker van zijn
when you know full well, you are absolutely sure that you know
know the ropes
het klappen van de zweep kennen
someone who is experienced and knows how the system works knows the ropes
know which side one's bread is buttered on
weten waar abraham de mosterd haalt
you know where your interests lie and will act accordingly to protect them
know your place
je plaats kennen
a person who knows their place doesn't try to impose themselves on others
lame duck
aangeschoten wild
if something or someone is a lame duck, they are in trouble
landslide victory
enorme overwinning
a landslide victory is a victory in an election by a very large margin
lanky kid
lang en dun
a lanky person is often tall and thin with long arms and legs
lap dog
schoothondje
a lap dog is a person who is eager to please another
larger than life
zwaar overdreven
if something is excessive or exaggerated, it is larger than life
last ditch attempt
laatste wanhopige poging
a last-ditch attempt is a desperate attempt that will probably fail anyway
last laugh
wie het laatst lacht, lacht het best
the person who has the last laugh ends up with the advantage after some setbacks
lather yourself up
jezelf goed inzepen
to apply thick soapsuds to your body
laugh a minute
een grapjas
someone who is a laugh a minute is very funny
laugh up your sleeve
in je vuistje lachen
if you laugh up your sleeve, you laugh at someone secretly
laughter is the best medicine
lachen is het beste medicijn
laughing is often helpful for healing, especially emotional healing
law unto yourself
eigen regels bepalen
do what you believe is right regardless of what is accepted as correct
lay down
omgelegd
he got laid down in a turf war about supplying drugs
lay down
vastgesteld
the rules of the sport were laid down early in the nineteenth century
lay down the law
de wet voorschrijven
if someone lays down the law, they tell people what to do and are authoritarian
lay into
er van langs geven
his partner laid into him when he arrived two hours late
lay off
ontslagen
the hotel laid off twenty staff because tourist numbers were down
lay on
organiseren
they laid on a buffet lunch at the conference
lay out
spenderen
they laid out thousands of pounds on their wedding reception
lazy tyke
een lui varken
a lazy kid
learn the ropes
de trucjes leren
if you are learning the ropes, you are learning how to do something
leave no stone unturned
de onderste steen bovenhalen
if you look everywhere to find something you leave no stone unturned
leave well alone
uit de buurt blijven
if you leave something well alone, you keep a safe distance from it
left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
de linkerhand weet niet waar de rechterhand me bezig is
this is what you say when actions are uncoordinated
left in the dark
in het duister tasten
when you aren't given the information that you should have
left to your own devices
alleen gelaten worden
if someone is left to their own devices, they can do what they want