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.
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
who wears the pants?
wie draagt de broek?
(usa) the person who wears the pants in a relationship is the dominant person
who wears the trousers?
wie draagt de broek?
(uk) the person who wears the trousers in a relationship is the dominant person
whole kit and caboodle
de hele donderse boel
everything that is needed to do something
whole new ball game
iets nieuws
if something's a whole new ball game, it is completely new or different
whole shebang
de hele donderse boel
the whole shebang includes every aspect of something
wide of the mark
er ver naast zitten
if something is wide of the mark, it is inaccurate or incorrect
widen your horizon
je blik verruimen
to increase what you know, or are able to do
wild goose chase
tijdverspilling
a wild goose chase is a waste of time
will never fly
gaat niet lukken
if an idea or project will never fly, it has no chance of succeeding
willy-nilly
rommelig en ongeorganiseerd
do something without order or plan
willy-nilly
of je nou wilt of niet
whether you want it or not
win by a nose
met neuslengte winnen
if somebody wins by a nose, they only just beat the others
wind up
irriteren
the children are really winding me up
wind up
opdoeken
the company was wound up when the creditors demanded payment
wind up
opwinden
I forgot to wind up my alarm clock and overslept
window dressing
net doen alsof
pretend to do something, without actually doing it
winner takes all
de winnaar krijgt alles
if everything goes to the winner, as in an election, the winner takes all
wipe the floor with
de vloer aanvegen met
you destroy the arguments or defeat someone easily
wipe the smile of someone's face
met de voeten terug op aarde zetten
do something to make someone feel less pleased with themselves
wishful thinking
wensdenken
imagining an unlikely situation as if it were possible and might one day happen
with a heavy hand
met harde hand
in a strict way, exerting a lot of control
with flying colours
met vlag en wimpel
pass easily, with a very high mark or grade