vælubíll

Icelandic

Etymology

Modeled after sjúkrabíll (“ambulance”), composed of væla (“whine”) +‎ bíll (“car”). First seen on print in 2008, later popularized by a 2010 children's song.

Noun

vælubíll m (genitive singular vælubíls, nominative plural vælubílar)

1. (sarcastic, derisive) a hypothetical “ambulance” that comes to the aid of someone whining or complaining

   Á ég að hringja á vælubílinn? ― Stop crying about it, you're being a baby. (literally, “Do you want me to call the whining ambulance?”)

Usage notes

This phrase is used sarcastically when someone is crying or complaining about something.

Declension

Declension of vælubíll (masculine, based on bíll)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	vælubíll	vælubíllinn	vælubílar	vælubílarnir
accusative	vælubíl	vælubílinn	vælubíla	vælubílana
dative	vælubíl	vælubílnum	vælubílum	vælubílunum
genitive	vælubíls	vælubílsins	vælubíla	vælubílanna

See also

• grenja (“cry loudly”)