{"id":7173,"date":"2021-03-01T09:50:15","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T09:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7173"},"modified":"2021-03-01T09:50:15","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T09:50:15","slug":"dutch-idioms-18-problems-with-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/dutch-idioms-18-problems-with-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch Idioms 18 \u2013 Problems with Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of the Netherlands, your first thought may not be\u00a0beren\u00a0<\/em>(bears). But that doesn’t mean we don’t have idioms involving those fluffy giants! In fact, we already have a post dedicated to their polar counterparts, ijsberen<\/em>.<\/a> But aside from curious words<\/a>, there are also beer<\/em>-related idioms I want to share!<\/p>\n

For other idioms in this series, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

De beer is los<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Dutch<\/a>

Image by mana5280 at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: The bear is on the loose<\/em><\/p>\n

The fat’s in the fire\/the sh*t has hit the fan<\/strong><\/p>\n

De beer is los<\/em> is quite easily translated to English. It’s when things start going nuts! Suddenly, a lot of stuff happens, there is ruzie <\/em>(arguments) and\u00a0paniek\u00a0<\/em>(panic). However, it can also be a positive, when someone tries their best at something. It can be said the moment that something happened or right before it. In any case, you, as a spectator, don’t have any influence on what’s about to happen. If two people start fighting, you could say: en nu is de beer los…<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s not a vulgar expression in any way, you can use it in pretty much any setting in the Netherlands, from both very informal to formal.<\/p>\n

But where does the idiom\u00a0come from?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The expression has already been seen as early as the mid 1750s. Bears haven’t been around in the wild in the Netherlands since the Middle Ages, so even then, the\u00a0uitdrukking<\/em> (expression) did not relate to bears in the wild.<\/p>\n

It’s actually related to circusberen <\/em>(circus bears) or\u00a0kermisberen\u00a0<\/em>(fair bears). They were brought to fairs or circuses and made to perform acts. Of course, they were on a leash, and probably would rather be somewhere else. So at the sight of the magnificent animal with its size, claws and teeth, spectators must have wondered: wat gebeurt er als de beer los is?\u00a0<\/em>(what happens if the bear is on the loose?)<\/p>\n

And that’s how it became a thing to describe a stressful, high-stakes situation. Here’s another example, but with a positive note:<\/p>\n

Het gaat nu om de gouden medaille bij het schaatsen, kan Kramer winnen?<\/em><\/p>\n

En ja, hij doet het! Hij wint, zijn fans zijn heel blij, de beer is los!<\/em><\/p>\n

(Now it’s about the golden medal in ice skating, can Kramer win?<\/p>\n

And yes, he does it! He wins, his fans are very happy, the bear is on the loose!)<\/p>\n

Beren op de weg zien<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n
\"Dutch<\/a>

A bear crossing the road in Yellowstone (Image by Yellowstone National Park at Flickr.com, public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: to see bears on the road<\/em><\/p>\n

to see things black<\/span>, to <\/span>see trouble ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This expression means that you see an insecure future. While the translation to the English doesn’t perfectly capture this, the\u00a0beren\u00a0<\/em>in this scenario are obstacles that block the\u00a0weg\u00a0<\/em>(road). So to be able to move along on the road ahead, there are\u00a0beren\u00a0<\/em>that need to be dealt with.<\/p>\n

However, “to see things black” also captures the meaning nicely.\u00a0Beren op de weg zien\u00a0<\/em>usually refers to problems that don’t exist in reality. So you see bears on the road that in reality don’t exist! So it’s problems you imagine. This meaning is losing significance, however, as\u00a0beren\u00a0<\/em>are more and more seen as real obstacles that need to be removed. It may also depend on who says it. For example:<\/p>\n

Arnold komt maar niet verder, hij ziet alleen maar beren op de weg.<\/em><\/p>\n

(He just can’t get ahead, he only sees bears on the road).<\/p>\n

So here, the person that speaks about Arnold<\/em> probably means that he imagines issues. But then there are also things like this:<\/p>\n

We zien nog wat beren op de weg voordat we dit wetsvoorstel kunnen aannemen, en die zouden we graag ter discussie stellen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(We still see some issues on the way before we can accept this bill, and we would like to discuss those.)<\/p>\n

Here, it’s a politician saying that there are still problems that need to be ironed out; those are probably not imagined. Of course, if somebody says about themselves that they see\u00a0beren op de weg<\/em>, they most likely mean that they still see issues ahead they have to actually deal with, not imaginary issues. Though that is possible, too, of course.<\/p>\n

As you can see, the\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>can be used in informal to formal settings, just like\u00a0de beer is los<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In any case, the meaning of this\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>has widened over time, that much is clear.<\/p>\n

But more has happened. It has also been shortened over time. Originally, the\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>was\u00a0leeuwen en beren op de weg zien\u00a0<\/em>(to see lions and bears on the road). That’s a mouthful, so the shortening makes sense. Sometimes, though, you’ll also hear of\u00a0apen en beren\u00a0<\/em>(monkeys and bears) or\u00a0wolven en beren\u00a0<\/em>(wolves and bears). The\u00a0beren\u00a0<\/em>seem to be consistently used, though.<\/p>\n

And where does the idiom come from?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It seems like the this one has its origin in the bible. There are different passages that could make sense, but from what I found, I think the following is quite fitting (Klaagliederen<\/em>, 3:10 (Lamentations, 3:10):<\/p>\n

Als een beer loert hij op mij, als een leeuw in het verborgene<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(He was\u00a0unto me\u00a0as\u00a0a bear lying in wait,\u00a0and as a lion in secret places.)<\/p>\n

The bears and lions are lying in wait, ready to get you in an unexpected moment. I think this encapsulates the risk, that unsettling feeling that danger is about to strike you. And the danger might not even be real, which this\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>also originally entailed. If it’s this passage or another, the connection with the bible seems to be quite strong, so this is probably where the\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>comes from.<\/p>\n

Do you have these or similar idioms in your language? Have you heard or used these idioms before? I want to know, so please tell me in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Dutch

When you think of the Netherlands, your first thought may not be\u00a0beren\u00a0(bears). But that doesn’t mean we don’t have idioms involving those fluffy giants! In fact, we already have a post dedicated to their polar counterparts, ijsberen. But aside from curious words, there are also beer-related idioms I want to share! For other idioms in…<\/p>\n

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