Let’s leave things as they are [Dutch phrase of the week]

You
can use the expression "de boel de boel laten" when you make the deliberate choice not to do anything about what you should be doing something about. Then you go and do something else (fun) instead!

This phrase is commonly used when you don’t want to do the housekeeping… 🙂

The word "boel" is derived from "boedel" ("big
quantity") or "inboedel" ("home contents"). The common translation of
"boel" is "things (to be done)", "matters", "stuff" etc.

Examples:
– "Kom, we laten de boel de boel en we gaan dit weekend naar Rome!" 
("Come on, let’s leave things as they are and go to Rome this weekend!")

– "Soms zou ik gewoon de boel de boel willen laten, maar ja, ik voel me altijd zo verantwoordelijk voor de dingen!" 
("Sometimes I would really like to leave things as they are, but you see, I always feel so responsible for things/everything!")

– "Het is zulk lekker weer! Laten we de boel de boel laten en lekker een fles wijn opentrekken!" 
("It is such great weather! Let’s leave things as they are and open a bottle of wine instead!" Note twice the use of "laten": first to say "let us" and then to say "leave the things". The verb "opentrekken" means "to pull open" and here it refers to the "uncorking" of the bottle.)

Related words:
– Boel: things, matters, stuff [noun] [de boel, no plural].
– Huishouden: housekeeping or household [noun] [het huishouden, de huishoudens].