{"id":7409,"date":"2021-07-19T11:00:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7409"},"modified":"2021-09-24T08:25:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T08:25:00","slug":"dutch-idioms-23-stealing-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/dutch-idioms-23-stealing-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch Idioms 23 – Stealing Animals!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In general,\u00a0stelen\u00a0<\/em>(stealing) isn\u2019t a good thing. In fact, most people would say it\u2019s never right. But this depends on the point of view, of course! The one that steals might feel like they\u2019re justified in their actions – the one that\u2019s being robbed probably feels quite differently about that. Today, let\u2019s look at two Dutch idioms that relate to stealing animals, but put them in quite a different light!<\/p>\n

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

De \u00e9\u00e9n mag een koe stelen en de ander mag niet over het hek kijken<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n
\"Dutch<\/a>

Photo by Christian Burri<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: The one may steal a cow and the other may not look over the fence<\/em><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have an English equivalent! Do you know one? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

An odd\u00a0spreekwoord <\/em>(saying), that I found multiple times, but have never actually heard in person. It speaks to a certain hypocrisy: some are allowed to do things while others are not – for no apparent reason. So when somebody says this, they find that what\u2019s happening is unfair.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s not a fair place – that\u2019s a fact. So this\u00a0spreekwoord\u00a0<\/em>is applicable in all kinds of ways. That means that you could hear this\u00a0spreekwoord\u00a0<\/em>in all kinds of places.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n

Die bankiers verdienen zo veel, en nu moet de belastingbetaler ze helpen! De \u00e9\u00e9n mag een koe stelen en de ander mag niet eens over het hek kijken.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Those bankers make so much, and now the tax payer has to help them! The one may steal a cow and the other may not even look over the fence.)<\/p>\n

On to the\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>(expression)!<\/p>\n

Met hem\/haar kun je paarden stelen<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n
\"Dutch<\/a>

Photo by Sarah Olive<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: with him\/her you can steal horses<\/em><\/p>\n

He\/she is game for anything<\/strong><\/p>\n

The English translation doesn\u2019t quite capture the meaning of this\u00a0uitdrukking<\/em>. It means that the person you can steal horses with is a\u00a0vertrouwenswaardige\u00a0<\/em>(trustworthy) and\u00a0loyale\u00a0<\/em>(loyal) friend, who is always there for you and that you can rely on.<\/p>\n

But\u2026 Why would\u00a0paarden stelen\u00a0<\/em>be something that indicates that you\u2019re a good friend?<\/p>\n

This\u00a0uitdrukking\u00a0<\/em>goes all the way back to the\u00a017de eeuw\u00a0<\/em>(17th century). Back then,\u00a0paarden\u00a0<\/em>were very valuable\u00a0bezit\u00a0<\/em>(property), especially as werkdieren\u00a0<\/em>(work animals). For that reason, they\u00a0were zwaar bewaakt <\/em>(heavily guarded), and stealing them had severe\u00a0straffen\u00a0<\/em>(punishments). So if you wanted to\u00a0paarden stelen<\/em>, you would undertake a risky endeavor. Without a trusty and reliable friend, the consequences could be grave.<\/p>\n

So having a friend you could do THAT with? That\u2019s a keeper.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example usage:<\/p>\n

Ze is echt mijn beste vriendin. Op haar kan ik altijd vertrouwen – met haar kan ik paarden stelen!<\/em><\/p>\n

(She really is my best friend. I can always rely on her – with her, I can steal horses!)<\/p>\n

Have you heard these idioms before? Do you know others we should discuss? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

In general,\u00a0stelen\u00a0(stealing) isn\u2019t a good thing. In fact, most people would say it\u2019s never right. But this depends on the point of view, of course! The one that steals might feel like they\u2019re justified in their actions – the one that\u2019s being robbed probably feels quite differently about that. Today, let\u2019s look at two Dutch…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":7413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[60713,3590,27711,551511],"tags":[1897,551498,358422,445086],"class_list":["post-7409","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-2","category-dutch-language","category-dutch-vocabulary-2","category-idioms","tag-animals","tag-dutch-idioms","tag-sayings-expressions","tag-spreekwoorden-en-uitdrukkingen"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t