Time to app (Or: Word play in a Dutch tram)

Niki

Jul 6

Here is a bit of Dutch word play for you. First, the image, taken last month in tram 17 in The Hague:

See the advertisement?

Mijn ticket? Blij dat ik 'm app!

(Very) roughly translated, it says: "My ticket? I'm glad that I app it [use the app to buy one]". But the word play is with the word app because when spoken in Dutch it is more of a soft "a" like "aap". This makes it sounds a lot like heb, from hebben or "to have". If you don't speak Dutch you'll have to trust me on that one. So if you read it quickly you could also say that it says: "My ticket? I'm glad that I have it!"

I don't know, I love it. It's an advertisement for public transportation and it is a language joke. What's not to love?

In other news:

Farmers' blockades 'will cost supermarkets tens of millions' from dutchnews.nl. Some farmers are unhappy with the upcoming rules to restrict the amount of nitrogen emissions. They do have a point, to a degree, but the decision to go from blocking highways to blocking supermarket warehouses and distribution centers is a bit shortsighted. Sure, now companies have to throw out millions of dollars of fresh food because it couldn't be delivered. It's a flashback to 2019 when the farmers invaded the city centre with their tractors, causing the military to bring out the heavy trucks to try and defend the city against them. It was some weird times, only stopped a bit by Covid-19.
Speaking of blocking highways: Dozens arrested as Extinction Rebellion activists block A12 in climate protest from nltimes.nl. This part of the A12 goes through The Hague; it wasn't far from the Malieveld or the temporary location of the Tweede Kamer (Dutch House of Representatives). One highlight: "A vehicle was used to block access to the A12, after which two protesters chained themselves to the roof of the car. [...] It took police about 30 minutes before they began taking protesters into custody, including the two sitting atop the car. Authorities used an angle grinder to slice through the car's roof and the chains." Fun times.
Nude bicyclists cycle through Amsterdam for annual Naked Bike Ride from nltimes.nl. Obviously this is NSFW, although it is mostly lots of derrieres unless you look really, really closely. Sorry, but all I can think is "owwww".
Sticking with the category of "owwww": Dutch TrainTok? This TikToker shames people running to catch Dutch trains from dutchreview.nl. Oh my. My favorite one is this guy fulfilling his daily exercise requirements in 3.3 seconds flat by running up the stairs like a jackrabbit. Yikes! Perhaps it is the same guy going down the stairs in the same amount of time? Hmm. How can the human body do that?