The List

DUTCH TRIUMPHS: 1581: Seven provinces declare independence from Spain; 1667: Dutch fleet under Admiral de Ruyter sails up Thames and burns English fleet's best ships; 1688: William of Orange rides into London as new king; 1690: Christiaan Huygens is first scientist to speculate that intelligent life-forms exist on other planets; 1882: World's first birth control clinic founded in Amsterdam; 1914-18: managed to stay out of First World War; 1993: 2-0

DUTCHWONDERS: Jan van Eyck (c1390-1441); Desiderius Erasmus, scholar (1466-1536); Willem Barents, explorer (1550-97); Rembrandt van Rijn (1606- 69); Jan Vermeer (1632-75); Vincent van Gogh (1853- 90); the Smurfs (1970s); Golden Earring (1970s); the Koeman brothers (b1961 and 1963) and De Boer twins (b1970), footballers

NOT DUTCH AT ALL: Dutch auction; Dutch cap; Dutch courage; double Dutch; going Dutch; Dutch rise; my old Dutch; Dutch uncle