bos hout voor de deur

Dutch

Etymology

Literally, “bundle of wood in front of the door”. First used by Wim Sonneveld in 1967. Likely originated as a euphemism. Compare French livraison de bois devant sa porte, from where the Dutch perhaps originates. Compare also German Holz vor der Hütte (literally “wood in front of the cottage”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɔs ˈɦɑu̯t foːr də ˈdøːr/

Noun

bos hout voor de deur m (plural bossen hout voor de deur)

1. (colloquial, humorous, collective, chiefly singular) (large) breasts
   • 2015, Jochem Myjer, 1:32:30 from the start, in Even Geduld Aub!, Jochem Myjer (actor):

     Annemiek was het eerste meisje bij ons op school die borstjes had. Dan riepen we als kleine jongetjes: Hee, bos hout voor de deur! Met de kennis van nu waren het eerder twee aanmaakblokjes.

     Annemiek was the first girl in our school to have breasts. Like little boys we yelled: Hey, some big melons! Knowing what we know now, they were more like firelighters.

Usage notes

• This noun phrase is, apart from any determiners, usually either preceded by an adjective (e.g. flinke) or followed by a relative clause (e.g. waar je u tegen zegt); both types of modifiers in most cases describe the size or another physical attribute of the breasts.
• May cause offense when used of people who are present.