Brewer's: Dutchman

I'm a Dutchman if I do. A strong refusal. During the rivalry between England and Holland, the word Dutch was synonymous with all that was false and hateful, and when a man said, “I would rather be a Dutchman than do what you ask me,” he used the strongest term of refusal that words could express.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language