badly done piece of work or repair, botch-job, botch-up
[noun]
[het brod-del-werk] ![]()
The noun ‘werk’ means ‘work’ in Dutch and it can be used for a (type of) job one has, but also for a job done, e.g. ‘goed werk!’ (good job!). When you deliver ‘broddelwerk’ you are doing a terrible job of poor quality. The related verb is ‘broddelen’ (to bungle / botch (up) (one’s work)’, however it is almost never used.
Examples:
- “Hij heeft een goede reputatie als dichter, maar zijn laatste bundel is echt broddelwerk!”
(“He has a very good reputation being a poet, but his latest collection (of poems) is a botch-up.”)
- “Ik heb mijn auto laten spuiten, maar het is echt broddelwerk, ik zweer het je, breng je auto nooit naar die garage!”
(“I had my car spray-painted but it’s a botch-job, I’m telling you, never take your car to that garage!”)
- “Denk jij dat Frank contractverlenging krijgt?” – “Ik denk het niet, die gast levert echt broddelwerk af!”
(“Do you think Frank will get contract renewal?” – “I don’t think so, the guy’s output is always of very poor quality.”)
Related words:
- Broddelen: to make a botch of something, to bungle / botch (up) (one’s work) [verb] [broddelde, gebroddeld].
- Slecht werk leveren: to do a poor job [verb] [leverde, geleverd].
- Broddelaar: bungler, botcher [noun] [de broddelaar, de broddelaren].
- Waardeloos: worthless [adjective].
- Slecht: bad [adjective].
- Aanfluiting: farce, travesty [noun] [de aanfluiting, de aanfluitingen].
I hope it’s not echt broddelwerk to suggest that, with today’s temperature in Amsterdam being 24°C, one of the next DWOTDs could be “oudewijvenzomer”.
Hi Chris, your comments are never ‘broddelwerk’
So indeed, this period of summer weather ‘after the summer’ is sometimes referred to as ‘oudewijvenzomer’ (old women summer; with the usage of ‘wijf’ being derogatory in current times). However, a more common word that is used is ‘nazomer’ (‘after summer’).