[Idiom] go Dutch

[YAMATO2201]

Tina: I feel like having a ball. Let's splurge.

Barbara: Forget it. I'm broke.

Tina: Don't worry. I'll pick up the tab. I'm loaded today. I'll treat you.

Barbara: No, we'll go Dutch. I don't like to freeload.

(Barbara K. Gaines: Idiomatic American English)

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Is go Dutch an old-fashioned idiom?

 

[Rover_KE]

No. [click]

 

[GoesStation]

On the other hand, I feel like having a ball isn't remotely natural to me.

 

[Yankee]

On the other hand, I feel like having a ball isn't remotely natural to me.

Perhaps in that context, but other uses are rather common, e.g. (A) How was the party last night? (B) Great. We had a ball.

 

[GoesStation]

Perhaps in that context, but other uses are rather common, e.g. (A) How was the party last night? (B) Great. We had a ball.

To have a ball is fine in the right context. The quoted sentence is not such a situation.

 

[Tarheel]

Tina: I feel like having a ball. Let's splurge.
Barbara: Forget it. I'm broke.
Tina: Don't worry. I'll pick up the tab. I'm loaded today. I'll treat you.
Barbara: No, we'll go Dutch. I don't like to freeload.

(Barbara K. Gaines: Idiomatic American English)

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Is go Dutch an old-fashioned idiom?

I suggest that Barbara accept Tina's offer. How is she going to pay her way if she's broke?

(Note that I reformatted the dialogue.)

 

[Tdol]

On the other hand, I feel like having a ball isn't remotely natural to me.

The dialogue is a bit overloaded with idiomatic expressions and seems laboured.

 

[abaka]

"I feel like having a ball" draws 152,000 Google hits.

Belaboured or not, it's idiomatic.

 

[Tdol]

Belaboured or not, it's idiomatic.

It is, but we rarely have natural conversations that consist of a chain of idioms and idiomatic expressions. We tend to use them more sparingly. It's a dialogue that sets out to cram idioms in rather than show how we use them naturally.

 

[jutfrank]

"I feel like having a ball" draws 152,000 Google hits.

Belaboured or not, it's idiomatic.

1) The semi-fixed idiomatic expression is have a ball. That doesn't mean I feel like having a ball is idiomatic. I don't think it sounds natural at all.

2) I don't think the number of Google hits is a reliable indication of good use of English. (How many hits does 'gonna' get?)

3) When I searched (here), I got only 10 Google hits. Among those, I can't see any instances at all of I feel like having a ball (not counting this particular source).