To have one foot out the door

16:28 Sep 9, 2014
English to Dutch translations [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / everyday colloquial expression
English term or phrase: To have one foot out the door
It's actually an expression I know in English, but I can't think of an equivalent in Dutch. 'The reds already have one foot out the door; if they stick to their list of demands, the greens will never agree.' Any ideas..? Many thanks!
adremco
Local time: 01:44


Summary of answers provided
4de strijd (al) half verloren hebben
Nicole Coesel
3 +1met één been buiten de deur
Philine Veldhuijsen
3de hakken in het zand
Pieter Beens


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to have one foot out the door
de hakken in het zand


Explanation:
Lastige. Ik denk dat er meerdere mogelijkheden zijn. In deze context zou je kunnen kiezen voor de spreekwoordelijke hakken. Of je kiest voor "de roden staan klaar om zich terug te trekken" o.i.d.

Pieter Beens
Netherlands
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to have one foot out the door
de strijd (al) half verloren hebben


Explanation:
Ik denk dat bovenstaande de lading dekt. Er is geen letterlijk equivalent in het Nederlands voor 'to have one foot out the door'.

Succes!

Nicole Coesel
Netherlands
Local time: 00:44
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 day 7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to have one foot out the door
met één been buiten de deur


Explanation:
Volgens mij is dit het Nederlandse equivalent en wordt het letterlijk zo gebruikt: als iemand al halverwege een beslissing/situatie is.

Philine Veldhuijsen
Netherlands
Local time: 00:44
Native speaker of: Dutch
PRO pts in category: 2

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michael Beijer
7 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search