Example: Hij vertelde het verhaal tussen neus en lippen door tijdens het eten.
Definition
"Tussen neus en lippen door" is a Dutch expression meaning to say something casually or incidentally, often without emphasizing it. For example, it describes telling a story in a relaxed manner, as if it were a small, unimportant detail mentioned in passing.
The phrase "tussen neus en lippen door" literally translates to 'between nose and lips,' referring to something said quietly or in passing. It likely originated from the idea of speaking softly or casually, as if the words come out naturally while focusing on other things, like eating or a casual conversation.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Tussen neus en lippen door" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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in passing