Word.ws English Dictionary

I'm a Dutchman

I'm a Dutchman phrase: statement said after describing or hearing something obviously false, or as an impossible alternative to something that is sure to happen.

Phrase

I'm a Dutchman

  1. (UK, humorous) Statement said after describing or hearing something obviously false, or as an impossible alternative to something that is sure to happen.
    • This is going to mean a gold watch and a week's outing at Southend with full pay for both of us or I'm a Dutchman.1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London

Origin of I'm a Dutchman

Likely dates to the 17th century Anglo-Dutch wars, along with other uncomplimentary terms for the Dutch.

Questions about I'm a Dutchman

What does I'm a Dutchman mean?
I'm a Dutchman means statement said after describing or hearing something obviously false, or as an impossible alternative to something that is sure to happen.
What part of speech is I'm a Dutchman?
I'm a Dutchman is a phrase.

Words near I'm a Dutchman in the dictionary

  1. I'm 14 and this is deep
  2. I'm a
  3. I'm a Buddhist
  4. I'm a Catholic
  5. I'm a Christian
  6. I'm a Dutchman
  7. I'm a girl
  8. I'm a guy
  9. I'm a lesbian
  10. I'm a Muslim
  11. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: I'm a Dutchman (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “I'm a Dutchman.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/i%27m_a_dutchman. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.