A

* Achter het net vissen
o Literal Translation: "To fish behind the net"
o Meaning: "to be too late for having success, doing things without result"

* Al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding
o Literal Translation: "Even if a monkey wears a golden ring, it is and remains an ugly thing"
o Meaning: "One can not fix up something internally bad by a simple outer change"
o English equivalent (vulgar): "You can't polish a turd."
o English equivalent (non vulgar): 'You cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear" (sow is female pig)
o Original from poem of Jacob Cats

* Al doende leert men.
o Literal translation: "Whilst doing one learns".
o Meaning: Practice makes perfect.

o Al te goed is buurmans gek.
o Literal Translation: "All too good is neighbor's fool."
o Meaning: "If you are always helping everyone, someone will abuse it."

* Als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen op tafel.
o Literal Translation: "When the cat is away from home, the mice dance on the table"
o Meaning: "Grabbing the opportunity when nobody watches".
o Better English: "While the cat's away, the mice will play".

* Als een kip zonder kop.
o Literal Translation: "Like a chicken without a head"
o Meaning: "To act like a fool"

* Als het water zakt, dan kraakt het ijs.
o Literal Translation: "When the water level decreases, the ice will crack."
o Meaning: "Pretence falls when it has nothing to back it up."?

* Als je moet, dan kun je veel.
o Literal Translation: "If you must, you can [do] a lot."
o Meaning: When forced to, you can do more than you think.
o English equivalent: "Necessity is the mother of invention."

* Als twee honden vechten om een been, loopt de derde er mee heen.
o Literal Translation: "When two dogs fight over a bone, a third one carries it away."
o Meaning: "Quibbling (or worse) between two parties, leads to opportunities for a third party."

* Appels met peren vergelijken
o Literal Translation: "Comparing apples to pears"
o Meaning: "Comparing things that are impossible to compare"
o English equivalent: "Comparing apples to oranges."

* Als een slak op een teerton.
o Literal Translation: "Like a snail on a barrel of tar."
o Meaning: Very slow indeed.
o English equivalent: "Slower than molasses in January."

B

* Beter één vogel in de hand dan tien in de lucht
o Literal Translation: "Better one bird in the hand than ten in the sky"
o Meaning: "One bird in the hand is better than two in the bush".

+ later joked by a famous Dutch comedian: "Better one bird in the hand than the odour of ten!"

= a pun on "Lucht", meaning sky and odour

* Beter een goede buur dan een verre vriend
o Literal Translation: "Better a good neighbour than a distant friend"
o Meaning: It is better to be friendly with a neighbour, than having a friend who is too far away to be there for you"

* Beter laat dan nooit.
o Literal translation: "Better late than never"
o Meaning: It's better to arrive late, but not ever.

* Bezint eer gij begint.
o Literal translation: "Think before you begin"
o Meaning: Think before you act.
o Alliterative English equivalent: "Look before you leap".

* Blaffende honden bijten niet
o Literal Translation: "Barking dogs don't bite".
o Meaning: People with a big mouth are no threat.

* Boter bij de vis.
o Literal Translation: "Butter with the fish"
o Meaning: "Reacting without delay in an appropriate way", more specifically:"Payment at time of purchase"

* Bij de pakken neerzitten.
o Literal Translation: "Sitting down beside the boxes"
o Meaning: "Giving up, being discouraged"

D

* Dat kan het daglicht niet verdragen.
o Literal Translation: "That cannot bear the daylight."
o Meaning: This is unethical/illegal.
o English Equivalent: "This cannot see the light of day."

* Dat slaat als een tang op een varken
o Literal Translation: "It hits like a grip on a pig"
o Meaning: "It makes no sense at all."

* De appel valt niet ver van de boom
o Literal Translation: "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
o English: "A chip off the old block"

* De beste stuurlui staan aan wal
o Literal Translation: "The best helmsmen stand on shore"
o Meaning: "The watchers always know better than the doers"

* De druppel die de emmer doet overlopen
o Literal translation: "The drop that floods the bucket"
o Meaning: "The last (tiny) thing that makes you snap"
o English equivalent: "The straw that broke the camel's back"

* De ene z'n dood is een ander z'n brood".
o Literal translation: "One person's death is another's bread".
o Meaning: "Whatever ill happens, someone benefits".
o English: "It's an ill wind that doesn't bring some good."

* De hond in de pot vinden
o Literal Translation: "To find the dog in the pot"
o Meaning: "Being too late for dinner"
o English: "Go without one's dinner." or "Dining with Duke Humphrey."
o Source: Dutch Dictionary

* De pen is machtiger dan het zwaard.
o Literal translation: "The pen is mightier than the sword".
o Meaning: It's better to fight with words than with violence.

* De puntjes op de i zetten
o Literal Translation: "Putting the dots on the i's"
o Meaning: "Finishing off the last details"
o English equivalent: "Dot your i's and cross your t's"

* De spijker op de kop slaan
o Literal Translation: "To hit the nail on the head"
o Meaning: "To get something exactly right"

* De vinger aan de pols houden
o Literal Translation: "Keeping the finger on the wrist"
o Meaning: "Regularly checking the state of a project or thing"
o English equivalent: "Keep your finger on the pulse"

* De weg naar de hel is geplaveid met goede voornemens
o Literal translation: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions".
o Meaning: Well-intentioned but inept people can ruin it all.

* De wens is de vader van de gedachte.
o Literal Translation: "Desire is the father of thought."
o Meaning: "Something you think may be inspired by desire."
o English equivalent: "That's wishful thinking."

* Denk aleer gij doende zijt en doende denk dan nog".
o Literal Translation: "Think before acting and whilst acting still think".
o Meaning: "Never forget to think"

* Die het eerst komt, die het eerst maalt
o Literal Translation: "He who comes first, he who grinds first"
o Meaning: "He who comes first shall be first served"
o English equivalent: "First come, first served"

E

* Een brutaal mens heeft de halve wereld
o Literal Translation: "A cheeky person owns half the world"
o Meaning: "A cheeky person gets whatever he wants"

* Een goed begin is het halve werk.
o Literal Translation: "A good start is half the job done."
o Meaning: "If you start something off well, you're already half on your way."

* Een goede daad is goud waard
o Literal translation: "A good deed is worth gold".
o Meaning: obvious

* Een goed verstaander heeft maar een half woord nodig
o Literal translation: "An understanding person needs only half a word".
o Meaning: "A person of understanding does not need a detailed explanation".

* Een half ei is beter dan een lege dop.
o Literal translation: "Half an egg is better than an empty shell".
o Meaning: "Half a loaf is better than no bread".

* Een kat in de zak kopen
o Literal Translation: "Buying a cat in a bag"
o Meaning: "Buying something that is not as useful as you thought it was"

* Een lange neus maken
o Literal Translation: "Making a long nose"
o Meaning: "Going your own way without being disturbed by other's objections"

* Een oogje in het zeil houden
o Literal Translation: "Keeping an eye on the sail"
o Meaning: "Continuously checking the state of a project or thing"
o English: "To keep an eye on something"

* Een open deur intrappen.
o Literal Translation: "Kicking in an open door"
o Meaning: "Stating the obvious".

* Een steekje laten vallen
o Literal Translation: "Dropping a stitch"
o Meaning: "Making a mistake"

* Een vlag op een modderschuit
o Literal Translation: "A flag on a mud barge"
o Meaning: "Excessive decoration of a common thing"

* Eén zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer
o Literal Translation: "One swallow doesn't make summer"
o Meaning: "One needs more than one indication to draw a conclusion"

* Eieren voor je geld kiezen
o Literal Translation: "Choosing eggs for your money"
o Meaning: "Taking the easiest and safest way out"

* Er met de pet naar gooien
o Literal Translation: "Throwing the hat at it"
o Meaning: "Not doing your best"

* Er met de pet niet bijkunnen
o Literal Translation: "Not being able to reach it with your hat"
o Meaning: "Not understanding something"

* Er geen doekjes om winden
o Literal Translation: "Not wrapping it in cloth"
o Meaning: "Saying it exactly like it is, using no euphemisms"

* Er zit bij hem een steekje los
o Literal Translation: "There is a loose stitch with him"
o Meaning: "He is a brick short of a full load".
o English equivalent: "He has got a screw loose"