balen als een stekker

Dutch

Etymology

Literally, “to be annoyed (etc.) like a (power) plug”. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbaː.lə(n) ɑls ən ˈstɛ.kər/

Verb

balen als een stekker

1. (intransitive, simile, chiefly Netherlands) to be extremely annoyed, frustrated or fed up [+ van (with)]

Usage notes

• Compared to bare balen, use of prepositional phrases introduced by van is considerably less common for the simile balen als een stekker, although this usage is not uncommon either.
• In the Netherlands, the term may be used freely in all contexts, though it may be considered a little informal. In Belgium, unmarked usage is limited to sports, in particular football.

Inflection

Conjugation of balen als een stekker: see balen.