# olievlekwerking



## la jeremiada de Jeremías

A very happy new year to all wordreferencers on the Dutch forums!

The word in question is used in an article about the rapid measures being taken around the world to start using body scanners in all airports, thanks to a terrorist attempt on Christmas.  



> De veiligheidsreflex heeft vaak een olievlekwerking.  --nrc.nl


I did find a thread somewhere...yes, on PR0-Z, where someone translated olievlekeffect as "snowball effect", so I'm wondering if it's a similar term.  Thanks.


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## Frank06

Hi


la jeremiada de Jeremías said:


> A very happy new year to all wordreferencers on the Dutch forums!


Bedankt! Voor jou* ook een prettig 2010.
(*Bedankt Joannes)



> I did find a thread somewhere...yes, on PR0-Z, where someone translated olievlekeffect as "snowball effect", so I'm wondering if it's a similar term. Thanks.


I must admit that it's the first time I came across this word. 
My *guess* would be something that spreads very quickly and that, in the process of spreading, has an increasing effect (for good or for bad).
The process of spreading is less violent (less sudden) than a snowball, but that the effects are at least as big and encompassing.

While searching information about this word, I noticed that it seems to be used more often in the Netherlands and that Belgian websites (still?) use _zogenaamd_ (so-called) or *"*olievlekwerking*"*, both indicating that the author supposes that the word is not (yet) commonly understood or used in Flanders. QED in case I am completely wrong about my above explanation .

Groetjes,

Frank


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## Suehil

A very Happy New Year to you, too 

Think of the way oil spreads when it spills onto water - in no time at all it covers a very wide area indeed.  That is the 'olievlekwerking'.  

'Snowball effect' means it gets bigger in volume, 'olievlekwerking' means it spreads fast.  I would tend to think in terms of 'spreads like the plague' if I had to translate it, though there may be better ideas out there somewhere.


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## jacquesvd

Suehil said:


> A very Happy New Year to you, too
> 
> Think of the way oil spreads when it spills onto water - in no time at all it covers a very wide area indeed. That is the 'olievlekwerking'.
> 
> 'Snowball effect' means it gets bigger in volume, 'olievlekwerking' means it spreads fast. I would tend to think in terms of 'spreads like the plague' if I had to translate it, though there may be better ideas out there somewhere.


 
Olievlekwerking is a relatively new term that indeed means that something spreads very fast (it doesn't say anything about the volume). One can say that something that has 'olievlekwerking' 'zich als een lopend vuurtje verspreidt'. This latter expression also means 'to spread fast'


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

Frank, Suehil and Jacques,

Thanks to all three of you.  I should have been thinking more literally...

Suehil, I like the idea of "spread like the plague" or "like wildfire".  

Jacques, I suppose the actual expression (and title of the thread) should have been _*hebben een olievlekwerking*_ or something like that.  You pointing out that it goes together with "has" was very helpful.

Cheers.


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## Timidinho

Hi,

Then it should've been *een olievlekwerking hebben*. 
This actually comes from the expression _*werking hebben (op)*_; compare _*invloed hebben (op)*_ or _*effect hebben (op)*_. Depending on the context, they (can) all three mean the same. An object is preceded by _*op*_. But usually one doesn't say *olievlekwerking** hebben op *or* sneeuwbaleffect hebben op*, to me that sounds strange.

Examples (Google headlines):
_Cacao heeft een gunstige werking op de hersenen.
Chopin had grote invloed op Antilliaanse muziek.
Milieuvervuiling heeft schadelijk effect op ongeboren baby's.

_Happy New Year,
Timidinho


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## Joannes

Gelukkig nieuwjaar allemaal!



Frank06 said:


> Bedankt! Voor jouw ook een prettig 2010.


Voor zijn wat, Frank? 




Frank06 said:


> While searching information about this word, I noticed that it seems to be used more often in the Netherlands and that Belgian websites (still?) use _zogenaamd_ (so-called) or *"*olievlekwerking*"*, both indicating that the author supposes that the word is not (yet) commonly understood or used in Flanders. QED in case I am completely wrong about my above explanation .


In Belgium I have only heard the oil stain metaphor used for Brussels and the expansion of its francophone territory within Dutch speaking Flanders (i.e. quite literally geographically spreading). It's a term that has been around for a while and since it's language politics I'm surprised no one has mentioned it.

It has a pejorative connotation and that's why, personally, I think Belgian (Flemish) media sometimes adopt the term too easily from the politicians. -- I don't think you would see this metaphor for the spreading of a good thing. I take it the safety measures in your article are considered to be going too far, too rapidly?


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