Engelse ziekte

Dutch

Etymology

Literally: “English disease”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɛŋəlsə ˈziktə/

Noun

Engelse ziekte f (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic, derogatory) writing Dutch compound words incorrectly by applying English spelling rules, i.e. with a space separating the two parts (as is common in English, e.g. wall paint), rather than joined as a single word (as is usual in Dutch, e.g. muurverf)