Example: Ze liep op haar tenen om niet wakker te maken.
Definition
"Op zijn tenen lopen" means to walk very carefully and quietly, often on the tips of one's toes, to avoid making noise or waking someone up, as in the example phrase, "Ze liep op haar tenen om niet wakker te maken."
The phrase "op zijn tenen lopen" literally translates to "to walk on one's toes" in Dutch. It originates from the natural action of tiptoeing to move silently, which is a common behavior to avoid detection or disturbance. Did you know? This expression captures the physical act perfectly, making it an intuitive metaphor in Dutch.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Op zijn tenen lopen" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 100 commonly used expressions.
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to be under pressure