seinen Senf dazugeben
to put in one's two cents; to add one's (usually unwanted) opinion
Origin
Origin not entirely certain; probably from the 17th century: innkeepers served mustard with almost every dish - whether wanted or not - which was as intrusive as unsolicited advice. Alternatively, the 'sharpness' of mustard transfers to biting verbal contributions.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Reflexive verbs (sich freuen, sich waschen)Reflexive Verben (sich freuen, sich waschen)
- Possessive articles in the dativePossessivartikel im Dativ
- Perfect tense of inseparable verbs (hat verstanden, no ge-)Perfekt untrennbarer Verben
- Local preposition 'an' (to/onto, Wohin?/where to? + accusative)Lokale Präposition 'an' (Wohin? + Akkusativ)
Examples
Zu jedem muss er seinen dazugeben.
He absolutely has to put in his two cents on every topic.