The prefix ‘loei’ means ‘very’, e.g. ‘loeihard’ (very loud/hard) and is derived from the verb ‘loeien’ in its obsolete meaning of ‘hard tekeergaan’ (which means someting like ‘to carry on with force’ however is mostly used in the translation of ‘to rant/rave’, to storm). Nowadays the verb ‘loeien’ has two common meanings:
– to howl/whine/wail (wind, siren);
– to moo (cow). (The sound a cow makes (‘a moo’) however is a ‘boe’ in Dutch.)
So now it is obvious what inspired the owners of the ‘Yoghurt Barn’ in Amsterdam to call their product ‘loeilekker’.
Note that ‘loei’ is a general prefix however you will mostly encounter the following examples: loeihard, loeizwaar, loeiheet/warm, loeisterk. In the photo ‘loeilekker’ is written as two words. The reason may be to emphasize the pun, or to make it easier to read (as ‘loeilekker’ is not a common usage of ‘loei’). It should however be written as one word.
Photo taken on Eerste van der Helststraat – Amsterdam
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