Example: Hij stuurde me met een kluitje in het riet toen ik om hulp vroeg.
Definition
"Iemand met een kluitje in het riet sturen" means to deliberately give someone an evasive or vague answer, often to avoid helping or addressing their request directly. It implies sending someone away with no real solution or assistance.
Translations
to fob someone off
dar largas
donar llargues
envoyer promener
jemanden abspeisen
mandare qualcuno a quel paese
mandar alguém passear
Etymology
The phrase "iemand met een kluitje in het riet sturen" comes from Dutch, where 'kluitje' means a small lump or clod of earth, and 'riet' means reed. The expression figuratively refers to sending someone away with a useless clod into the reeds, symbolizing a meaningless or empty response. Did you know this colorful phrase paints a vivid picture of avoidance?
Learn to use this expression actively
"Iemand met een kluitje in het riet sturen" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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to fob someone off