dwarsligger

Dutch

Etymology

From dwarsliggen +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdʋɑrsˌlɪ.ɣər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dwars‧lig‧ger

Noun

dwarsligger m (plural dwarsliggers, diminutive dwarsliggertje n)

1. an obstructor, a hinderer, an obstructionist (one who is uncooperative and seeks to thwart something)

   Synonym: dwarsdrijver

   Ze verdacht de dwarsligger ervan een infiltrant te zijn.

   She suspected the obstructionist of being an infiltrator.

2. a sleeper, a railroad tie

   Synonyms: spoorbalk, spoorbiels

   Een paar van de dwarsliggers bleken verrot.

   A few of the sleepers turned out to be rotten.

3. (neologism) a small book with its text aligned parallel to the spine

   Henk had wat dwarsliggers meegenomen naar het meertje.

   Henk had brought some books with spine-parallel text along to the lake.

Derived terms

• → West Frisian: dwerslizzer (calque)