Example: Het is niet eerlijk om met twee maten te meten in de klas.
Definition
"Met twee maten meten" is a Dutch expression meaning to apply different standards or rules to similar situations or people, resulting in unfairness or inconsistency. For example, it highlights when someone judges others differently without a valid reason, as in the phrase: 'Het is niet eerlijk om met twee maten te meten in de klas.'
Translations
to apply double standards
tener doble rasero
tenir doble raser
faire deux poids deux mesures
mit zweierlei Maß messen
usare due pesi e due misure
julgar com dois pesos e duas medidas
Etymology
The phrase "met twee maten meten" literally translates to 'to measure with two measures.' It originates from the practice of using different measuring tools, which would yield inconsistent results. Did you know? The expression is commonly used in Dutch to criticize unfair double standards or biased judgment.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Met twee maten meten" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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to apply double standards