What does “oorlog” mean in Dutch ticket slang?
Luna in de stress voor Harry Styles kaartverkoop
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
Oorlog is the Dutch word for war, but Dutch fans use it the way English speakers say “bloodbath” about a Taylor Swift presale: pure hyperbole for an unwinnable scramble. It plays on the wider Dutch habit of dramatic-sounding nouns in low-stakes contexts (ramp for “disaster,” moord for “murder”) to underline how impossible something feels.
The clip catches Luna, a Harry Styles superfan, ahead of the Dutch leg of his tour. With only seven dates worldwide and the Johan Cruijff ArenA as the lone European stop besides London, she predicts the inevitable: “Oorlog. Het wordt een oorlog.” The English equivalent is “It’s gonna be a bloodbath.” Dutch reaches for war.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In NU.nl, Het Parool and AD reports on concert ticket presales and resale prices
- ▸In 3voor12, BNNVARA and NPO 3FM coverage of stadium tours by global artists
- ▸In Ticketmaster Nederland and Mojo Concerts booking pages and post-presale debriefs
- ▸In Dutch fan-Twitter threads on Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Coldplay shows at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live