Als de wiedeweerga

right away, on the double, in a flash [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

"Als de" translates to "like the". But what does "wiedeweerga" mean? Well, it is something fast, that’s for sure! And it can imply urgency, so it is a bit stronger than just "right away".

You might also hear "als de gesmeerde bliksem": like greased lightning!

Examples:
Kofferinpakken
– "Ik moet als de wiedeweerga mijn koffer in gaan pakken, want anders red ik het niet!"

("I have to start packing my suitcase right away, because otherwise
I will not make it!" Note the use of "het redden": although "redden"
means "to save (somebody/something)", "het redden" means "to make it (in time for
something)" or "to succeed".)

– "En nu ga je als de wiedeweerga je kamer opruimen, want ik ben het zat!"
("And now you will clean up your room, on the double, because I have had it!")

"Waar is Cathrine?" – "Ik weet het niet, ze kreeg een telefoontje en toen is ze als de wiedeweerga naar Zweden vertrokken!"
("Where is Cathrine?" – "I don’t know, she received a phone call and then she left for Sweden in a flash!")