Hans Brinker
What Does Finger In The Dike Mean?
This expression comes from a popular legend about a young Dutch boy. To understand the story, it is important to have some context about the Netherlands. In this country, much of the land is below sea level. Therefore, the country has many dams to protect their people from flooding.
In the story, a little boy sees a small crack in a dam. He knows that if no one fixes this leak, the crack will grow bigger, and the dam will break. This would cause many people to die. He decides to stop the leak by putting his finger in the hole in the dam. Despite the cold weather, he stays there all night until adults find him and fix the hole.
Although this story is set in Netherlands, it probably originated in America, England, or France. This story started appearing in these three countries in the year 1850. However, the original authorship is unclear.
Because of this origin story, when people use this expression figuratively they often are implying one of several things.
There is only one person standing between salvation and complete disaster.
Someone is plugging a leak, perhaps of information, crime, or something else.
Someone is stopping something, despite danger and difficulty.
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