zoden aan de dijk zetten

Dutch

Alternative forms

• zoden aan de dijk brengen

Etymology

Literally: “to add sods [of turf] to the dike”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzoː.də(n) ˌaːn də ˈdɛi̯k ˈzɛ.tə(n)/

Verb

zoden aan de dijk zetten

1. (intransitive) to have a significant effect, to make an important contribution

   Dat zet geen zoden aan de dijk. ― That does not make an important contribution.