Given the Dutch relationship with water, it is no surprise that many Dutch idioms (uitdrukkingen) come from maritime and water management culture. Het schip ingaan means to go down with the ship — used figuratively for a plan or project that fails completely. Iemand in het water laten vallen means to let someone fall into the water — i.e., to let someone down badly. Met iemand door één deur kunnen is literally being able to go through one door with someone — meaning to get along well with them.
Ship and sailing idioms: het roer omgooien (to throw the rudder — to change course drastically, to make a big life change), over één nacht ijs gaan (to go over one night’s ice — to act rashly without testing whether the ice is safe), met de stroom meegaan (to go with the current — to follow the crowd), tegen de stroom ingaan (to go against the current — to swim against the tide), iemand de wind uit de zeilen nemen (to take the wind out of someone’s sails — to undermine someone’s plans).
Water and flooding expressions: in het diepe springen (to jump into the deep end — to take a big risk or start something without preparation), verdrinken in het werk (to drown in work — to be overwhelmed with tasks), een druppel op de gloeiende plaat (a drop on a hot plate — a drop in the ocean, something far too small to make a difference). These idioms carry real cultural weight — they emerged from a society that literally had to manage water collectively to survive, and that history is embedded in the language.