English Words with Dutch Origin

Dutch influence is all around us. Some we even use everyday. I recently read a book (The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto) and it included a couple of English words that have Dutch origins. Which got me thinking...there must be others. And yes, there are many others. Here are some of my favorites or ones that we use commonly in English. For obvious reasons most are nautical terms.

Ahoy - from hoi (hello, hi)

Coleslaw - koolsla (literally cabbage salad)

Cookie - koekje or koekie (biscuit, little cake)

Gherkin - gurk (cucumber)

Hooky - hoekje (corner, like to go around the corner)

Iceberg - ijsberg (literally ice mountain)

Leak - lekken (to drip, to leak)

Maelstrom - maalstroom (grinding current, stirring current)

Buoy - boei (buoy, shackle)

Deck - dek (covering)

Brandy - brandewijn (burnt wine)

And there are many more. My favorite is koekje. I've found a neat website about etymology here where I found most of this. I included only the neatest ones. Maybe I'll post more in the future.

The Golden Age of the Netherlands was from around it's creation as a country, to the 17th century. So be prepared to read a lot about the exploration race between countries like Spain, England, and Sweden during the 15 and 16 hundreds up to the Revolutionary War of the Americas. I think next time I'll relate an interesting story I found during the Rev War featuring my family.....

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de Vries, Hans de Vries. Almost.

In 1967 THE James Bond (Sean Connery) decided to step away from the world of James Bond films. EOS studios thus had to find a replacement. It came down to 5 men. 2 Brits, an American, a Australian, and a Dutchman. John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, George Lazenby, and Hans de Vries. None of those names ring a bell? George Lazenby won the part for the 6th Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. A movie that has been lauded both as the worst and one of the best Bond films in the franchise. If you haven't seen it, you should. It was the Bond film that 'Breaks the Fourth Wall', Bond gets married, wears a kilt, and goes skiing. But the reason for this post is instead of this; (Yes, THAT is James Bond) We could of had this. Improvement? Probably not. He looks a wee bit angry. Plus, no one watches OHMSS anyway. So, did de Vries have a movie career after Bond? Ha, no. The only notable movie rolls I can find for him were pre bond. And that was ...

"My Knitted Boyfriend"

Yes. You read that correctly. And no, I am not buying one. I used to have my dog sleep on my bed when I was little but that was when I was 7. Noortje de Keijzer (her website) a Dutch designer and illustrator has designed a life-sized, yes life size, knitted pillow in the shape of a man. Or a boyfriend. Whichever you prefer. Keijzer's " My Knitted Boyfriend " (click this link. It shows the different accessories and the book that accompies your 'man') project consists of two different oversized cushions, "Artur" (white guy with brown hair) and "Steve (darker guy with black hair)." The pillows come with a number of accessories, including knitted moustaches, glasses, watches, bow-ties, and even tattoos. There's also an illustrated book to show you what you can do with your knitted companion. Keijzer had her mother and grandmother hand-knit the body pillow. (Slave labor?, I'm still wondering why she couldn'...

Dutch Companies

So posting something every weekday is a little harder than I thought. I think I'm just going to shoot for at least 2 a week. Sorry folks. Today I thought it would be neat to read about some companies that were founded in the Netherlands. Some you already know and others that may make you say, "really?" I picked just the ones that we here in America would recognize. First off the beer companies. Just 2 BIG ones. Amstel Brewery - 1870 in Amsterdam. Bought by the next company in 1968. Heineken International - 1864 in Amsterdam. As of 2007 they own 119 breweries in 65 countries. They claim their recipe hasn't changed in 150 years and Heineken is the worlds 3rd largest brewer. Now others. Endemol - 1994 merger of television companies. They have produced shows like Fear Factor and Wipeout based in the Netherlands. ING Group - Financial institution full name is Internationale Nederlanden Groep (International Netherlands Group). You remember the commercials. ING with the ora...

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