met zijn gat in de boter vallen

Dutch

Etymology

Derived from the earlier expression met zijn neus in de boter vallen.

Literally, “to fall with one's asshole into the butter”.

The idiom met zijn gat in de boter vallen as well as its Frisian cognate (mei 't gat yn 'e bûter (or bûterfet) falle) are both typically used to denote someone who was born into comfort, or in Friesland also a woman who married her way into a rich family.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɛt zɛi̯n ɣɑt ɪn də ˈboːtər ˈvɑlə(n)/

Verb

met zijn gat in de boter vallen

1. (Belgium, idiomatic, somewhat vulgar) to be in a comfortable situation through sheer luck; typically used to denote someone born into comfort

Conjugation

Conjugation of met zijn gat in de boter vallen: see vallen.

Descendants

• → French: avoir le cul dans le beurre (calque)
• → English: land with one's bum in the butter (calque)