A Dictionary of Dutchness

Paarse krokodil

The phrase ‘purple crocodile’ has become a symbol for unnecessary bureaucracy and a ‘more-than-my-job’s-worth’ mentality among officials and has given its name to a variety of initiatives to slash red tape. It comes from a 2005 Ohra insurance advert in which a mother could not reclaim her daughter’s blow-up crocodile from a swimming pool attendant until she had filled in numerous forms.