{"id":7499,"date":"2021-09-30T16:32:21","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T16:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7499"},"modified":"2021-09-30T16:32:21","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T16:32:21","slug":"whats-this-curious-dutch-word-vergisontvoering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/whats-this-curious-dutch-word-vergisontvoering\/","title":{"rendered":"Curious Dutch Words: Kidnapping By Mistake: Vergisontvoering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ontvoeringen\u00a0<\/em>(kidnappings)! Not a fun thing, but they happen. Often with the intention of using the gijzelaar <\/em>(hostage)<\/a> as a negotiation chip or for blackmail. There’s a clear intention behind the act. But somehow, the Dutch found the word\u00a0vergisontvoering <\/em>(mistaken kidnapping). How does that work, and how is this a word?<\/p>\n

Previous posts in this series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Curious Words In Dutch<\/a><\/p>\n

Vergisontvoering in Cruquius<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zB7Qd9SEdqY<\/p>\n

The word\u00a0vergisontvoering\u00a0<\/em>did the rounds recently, after a man was\u00a0ontvoerd\u00a0<\/em>(kidnapped) in the Dutch town Cruquius in August. He was pushed into a rode Mercedesbus\u00a0<\/em>(red Mercedes bus) and taken away. However, it turned out that they got the wrong guy! So a\u00a0vergisontvoering\u00a0<\/em>– a mistaken kidnapping. It’s a\u00a0samenstelling\u00a0<\/em>(compound)<\/a> of the verb vergissen<\/em> (to mistake) and\u00a0ontvoering\u00a0<\/em>(kidnapping).<\/p>\n

The police is still searching for the verdachten <\/i>(suspects). The 56-year-old man that was\u00a0vergisontvoerd <\/em>(kidnapped by mistake) was held for six days by the men and mishandeld <\/em>(abused). They then let him go, and he is fine, but it is still a traumatic experience, of course!<\/p>\n

But it seems that this case goes a lot deeper than simply a\u00a0vergisontvoering<\/em>. The police is linking<\/a> the\u00a0ontvoering\u00a0<\/em>to\u00a0a\u00a0drugspartij\u00a0<\/em>(drugs shipment) in the\u00a0Antwerpse haven <\/em>(docks of Antwerp). And last night, from Wednesday to Thursday, there was an explosie <\/em>(explosion) in Hoensbroek, Limburg, where the 56-year-old\u00a0slachtoffer\u00a0<\/em>(victim) is from. The\u00a0explosie\u00a0<\/em>came on a\u00a0stoep\u00a0<\/em>(sidewalk) in front of a\u00a0woning\u00a0<\/em>(apartment). Nobody was\u00a0gewond\u00a0<\/em>(hurt), only a raam\u00a0<\/em>(window) broke.<\/p>\n

There aren’t any real earlier notions of the word\u00a0vergisontvoering\u00a0<\/em>I could find. There was a news article about a\u00a0vergisontvoering\u00a0<\/em>years ago, but it didn’t catch on like it did now. Perhaps also because there are so many rapid developments surrounding this case, and that it is in the news a lot.<\/p>\n

Are there other words like vergisontvoering<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"vergis<\/a>

Oops, I didn’t mean to! (Photo by krakenimages<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s an interesting word, and a real translation might simply be “kidnapping by mistake”<\/a> or “mistaken kidnapping”. What do you think is a good translation? Let me know in the comments below.<\/p>\n

There are other words, too, that are like\u00a0vergisontvoering<\/em>. There is\u00a0vergismoord\u00a0<\/em>(murder by mistake), for example. Killing the wrong person, which happened some time ago with the\u00a0zaak DJ Djordy<\/em>.<\/a> The wrong man was murdered there.<\/p>\n

Another word is\u00a0vergisaanval <\/em>(attack by mistake), which was recently used to describe the US drone attack<\/a> in Kabul, Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

And in this way, you can use\u00a0vergis-\u00a0<\/em>for many such things! So if you did something by mistake, you could try and create a new word – and it doesn’t have to be related to crime and violence like the above examples! Have you painted a bad painting, but it somehow still turned out cool? It could be a vergisschilderij\u00a0<\/em>(painting by mistake), why not?!<\/p>\n

Let me know what kind of words you would make “by mistake” in the comments, and in what context you would use that word!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"vergis

Ontvoeringen\u00a0(kidnappings)! Not a fun thing, but they happen. Often with the intention of using the gijzelaar (hostage) as a negotiation chip or for blackmail. There’s a clear intention behind the act. But somehow, the Dutch found the word\u00a0vergisontvoering (mistaken kidnapping). How does that work, and how is this a word? Previous posts in this series…<\/p>\n

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