blij maken met een dode mus

blij maken met een dode mus

Dutch

Etymology

Literally to cheer up with a dead sparrow. Origin unknown. Theories include that if a hunter brought a dead sparrow home it would be a disappointment as a sparrow is a very small bird. Another theory is that sparrows have little value in general and a dead sparrow would be worth even less. The third theory is related to domestic cats: cats are known to sometimes deliver the prey that they killed, like a sparrow, to their human master. The cat mistakenly assumes the prey would be valued by its master, but it is only a disappointment.[1]

Verb

blij maken met een dode mus

1. to get someone excited for something that will result in disappointment

References

1. Tara Stokdijk (2021-04-12), “Waar komt het gezegde ‘iemand blij maken met een dode mus’ vandaan?”, in Libelle‎