spuit elf

Dutch edit

FWOTD – 23 April 2022

Spuit elf geeft (ook nog) modder on Dutch Wikipedia

Alternative forms edit

spuitelf

Etymology edit

Uncertain. Literally, “hose eleven”; referring to the eleventh fire company. Querido glosses it as “mud hose”, compare spuit elf geeft ook modder, but why “eleven” is linked to “mud” is unclear. Hypotheses include:

from the concept of 11 as a crazy or incomplete number, not quite a dozen (cf. gekkengetal);
from an old firefighting figure of speech: by the time the eleventh fire hose arrives at the scene of a fire, the canal from which the fire brigade was drawing water may have only mud remaining.

Sometimes pronounced as if it is interpreted as a compound of spuit (“hose; syringe”) or spuiten (“to spray, to spund; to inject”) and elf (“eleven; elf, fae”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /spœy̯t ˈɛlf/
(reinterpreted pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈspœy̯t.ɛlf/

Noun edit

spuit elf f (plural spuit elven)

(Netherlands) a nobody who is late in commenting or catching up, often one whose comment is ignorant or irrelevant
- 1925, Israël Querido, "Mooie Karel", in De Jordaan. Amsterdamsch epos, part 4, Scheltens & Giltay (6th ed., first ed. 1924), page 435.
  Karel wrong zich overeind en schreeuwde:
  - Louw kans, spuit Elf!.. Ik ferdom 't!... Is da kwant of nie?...
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Related terms edit

spuit elf geeft ook modder