What do the Phrases ‘Go Dutch, In Dutch & Dutch Uncle’ Mean?

‘Dutch uncle’ means —

• a kind but authoritative person;
• someone who gives good advice in frank and direct words;
• a straightforward critic or advisor.

This phrase dates from the early nineteenth century. Presumably, Dutch people were considered stern and free-spoken, who didn’t hold back when criticizing someone, who didn’t pull their punches when giving advice to someone. So, the term ‘Dutch uncle’ came to be used for people who were well suited to give frank advice without mincing words.

For example —

“I credit my brother for my success. He used to talk to me like a Dutch uncle whenever I made mistakes in life.”

It means my brother used to speak to me frankly without mincing words. It is because of his direct and to-the-point advice that I am successful.

I hope that’s clear guys. Now, we move on to the remaining two phrases.

The first one is “In Dutch”. This phrase also comes from the image of an authoritarian Dutch person about to give a lecture in his sober and direct style.

Thus “In Dutch” means to be in trouble or in disfavor with someone.

For example —

“I am in Dutch with my boss for not making expense reports.”

It means I didn’t make expense reports, so my boss is angry with me.

The next phrase to discuss is “Go Dutch”.

To go Dutch means to split the bill; to pay for yourself; to share the costs of something.

Some people believe that this phrase originated from the thriftiness or frugality observed in Dutch immigrants. Dutch people didn’t like to spend much money.

An earlier phrase for this behavior was ‘Dutch treat’ where every person paid for himself.

Let’s see an example —

“We are not on a date so please don’t pay for my meal. Let’s go Dutch.”

Let’s split the bill and pay for ourselves because we are not on a date.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.