vælubíll

Icelandic

Etymology

Modeled after sjúkrabíll (ambulance), composed of væla (whine) +‎ bíll (car). First seen on print in 2008,[1] later popularized by a 2010 children's song.

Noun

vælubíll m (genitive singular vælubíls, nominative plural vælubílar)

  1. (sarcastic, derisive) a hypothetical “ambulance” that comes to the aid of someone whining or complaining
    Á ég að hringja á vælubílinn?Stop crying about it, you're being a baby. (literally, “Do you want me to call the whining ambulance?”)

Usage notes

This phrase is used sarcastically when someone is crying or complaining about something.

Declension

Declension of vælubíll (masculine, based on bíll)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative vælubíll vælubíllinn vælubílar vælubílarnir
accusative vælubíl vælubílinn vælubíla vælubílana
dative vælubíl vælubílnum vælubílum vælubílunum
genitive vælubíls vælubílsins vælubíla vælubílanna

See also

References