> aan de veren kent men de vogel = one recognizes the bird by it's plumage

   (Fr) On connaît l’oiseau à son plumage / (Gr) Der Vogel erkennt man an seinen Federn

   one will look or act the way one is raised

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> een oud dak vraagt veel werk = an old roof needs a lot of repairs

  it is difficult (or impossible) to change old people

(eqv) teaching an old dog new tricks

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> achter het net vissen = fishing behind the net

   you are too late / you let an opportunity pass you by

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> als de ene blinde de ander leidt vallen ze beiden in de gracht = if one blind leads the other blind, both willl fall in the ditch

(Fr) Si un aveugle conduit un aveugle, ils tomberont tous deux dans une fosse / (Gr) Wenn ein Blinder den andern führt, so fallen sie beide in die Grube

two unintelligent people can not make an intelligent decision

> te laat den put gevuld als 't kalf verdronken is = if the calf is drowned it is too late to fill the hole

it's too late to take action when the accident already occured

(eqv) closing the barn door after the cows have gotten out

(eqv) he's a day late and a dollar short

> bij den duivel te biechten gaan = use the devil to go to confession 

telling secrets to the enemy

(eqv) spilling the beans (eqv) loose lips sink ships

> zij hangt haar man de blauwe huik om = she puts the blue cloak on her man

she is cheating her husband

> met het hoofd tegen de muur lopen = banging one's head against a brick wall

trying to do the impossible

> op de wereld schijten = to shit on the world

not caring about anyone or anything

> wat heb je aan een mooi bord als het leeg is = what good is a nice plate if it is empty

material needs come before spiritual needs

> de wereld op zijnen duim laten draaien = he has the word turning on his thumb

he is a manipulator

> den enen scheert schapen, den anderen varkens = one shears sheep, the other shears pigs

(Gr) Der eine schert die Schafe, der andere die Säue

talents are uneaqualy distributed

> niemant en soeckt de anderen in den oven of hi hefter selver in gewest = nobody looks for somebody in the oven unless he has been hiding there himself

(Fr) Honi soit qui mal y pense (devise de l'ordre de la Jarretiere)

only somebody who is bad himself thinks bad things about somebody else

(eqv) the pot calling the kettle black

> daar zijn de daken met vlaaien bedekt = having one's roof tiled with tarts

to show you are very wealthy / to have an abundance of everything

background: you put a pie (= when you can bake pies you must have a lot to eat) on the window sill to cool - if you are baking too many pies you have to put them on the roof to cool

> de kat de bel aanbinden = to put a bell on the cat

being indiscreet about plans that should be secret

(eqv) to let the cat out of the bag

> hij kan niet van het ene brood tot het andere geraken = he is unable able to reach from one loaf to another

to have difficulty living within a budget

(eqv) to live beyond your means

> iemand een stok in de wielen steken = to put a stick in someone's wheel

to stop someone brutally / to destroy somebody's plans

> twee schijten door een gat = they both shit through the same hole

two who are in complete agreement

(eqv) two peas in a pod

> zorg dat er daar geenen zwarten hond tussen komt = be careful the black dog does not come in between

when two women are together a barking dog is not needed to add to the trouble they will cause

> uit andermans leer een brede riem sneiden = to cut large thongs from other men’s leather

(Fr) Du cuir d’autrui, large courroie / (Gr) Aus fremden Leder ist gut Riemen schneiden

to profit from the work of others

> zij kan den duivel op een kussen binden = she is able to tie the devil to a pillow

she can handle all kinds of men

> paarlen voor de zwijnen gooien = to cast pearls before swine

to waste effort on the unworthy

> van den os op den ezel vallen = to fall from the ox onto the ass

to fall on hard times