in Dutch
1
9.9
- idiom
- Archaic
:
en problemas
- After being late for the meeting, Sarah found herself in Dutch with her boss.
Examples
-
When he failed to submit the report on time, he got in Dutch with the manager.
-
After ignoring the safety rules, the workers were in Dutch with the supervisor.
-
I hope you're not in Dutch.
Synonyms
∞
2.9
In difficulty and likely to face bad results because of a mistake or bad situation
12
7.9
Not liked or trusted because you did something wrong
1
8.6
A small problem that causes worry and needs help
Not liked or trusted by other people after doing something wrong
Antonyms
How Troubled
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + Dutch
The meaning 'in trouble or disfavor' cannot be derived from the literal parts 'in' (position) and 'Dutch' (nationality/language); there is no compositional relation linking the constituents to this sense. The phrase is idiomatic with an obscure origin and no predictable cross-linguistic logic, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
In Dutch may come from old American towns where many people spoke Dutch. One popular story says if you owed money or upset a Dutch neighbor you were 'in Dutch', and this image of being in someone's debt or out of favor explains why it now means 'in trouble'.