struisvogelpolitiek

Language: Dutch · [ˈstrœysˌfoːɣəlpoːliˌtik] · Pronunciation: STROWS-voh-khel-poh-lee-TEEK

Pronunciation: Marcel coenders · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Meaning

refusing to face a problem — burying your head in the sand

The story

Literally 'ostrich politics', after the bird that supposedly buries its head in the sand. Real ostriches do no such thing, but Dutch politics kept the myth alive as a standing accusation. English speakers coined their own verb for the manoeuvre: ostriching.

The four rounds

Which language is it from?: Dutch
What does it literally say?: Ostrich politics
Who gets accused of it?: A minister dodging bad news
What does it mean?: Pretending a problem isn't there

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