a Dutch uncle






a Dutch uncle

a kindly but authoritative figure

Dutch here probably means no more than that the person described is not a genuine blood relation. In the mid 19th century I will talk to him like a Dutch uncle (meaning…I will give him a lecture) was noted as being an American expression.

1999 - Daily Telegraph - She was the kindest of Dutch uncles, always prepared to listen to one's troubles.


RELATED IDIOMS :


Dutch courage

bravery induced by drinking alcohol

The phrase Dutch courage stems from a long-standing British belief that the Dutch are extraordinarily heavy drinkers.




go Dutch

share the cost of something equally

An outing or entertainment paid for in this way is a Dutch treat and sharing the cost of a meal in a restaurant is eating Dutch.

1993 - Vanity Fair - He insists on buying his own tickets, going Dutch, as he puts it.




in Dutch

in trouble - US - informal - dated

1939 - Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep - And for that amount of money you're willing to get yourself in Dutch with half the law enforcement of this country?




that beats the Dutch

that is extraordinary or startling – US




I am a Dutchman

used to express your disbelief or as a way of underlining an emphatic assertion – British

1994 - Ian Botham - My Autobiography - I read somewhere that Warne said he had been possessed by demons. Well, in that case I'm a Dutchman.




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