Why do Dutch speakers call jeans “spijkerbroek”?

Most languages borrowed the English word jeans directly: French jeans, German Jeans, Italian jeans, Spanish jeans. Dutch went its own way and built spijkerbroek: a compound of spijker (“nail”) and broek (“trousers”). The metal rivets on classic denim looked like little nails, so Dutch coined the word from the visible detail. Younger Dutch speakers sometimes drop spijkerbroek in favor of jeans, but the homegrown compound is still standard, especially in writing and clothing labels.

In this clip, a Dutch quiz show uses spijkerbroek and other clothing compounds in a word-puzzle round. Each item is a Dutch noun that hides a piece of clothing: spijkerbroek (jeans), sleehak (wedge heel), tuinbroek (overalls). The Dutch compounding habit is the whole game.