English-Dutch translations for quicksand

• drijfzand
  De argumenten van de Canadese regering berusten op drijfzand.It is on quicksand as far as its arguments are concerned on this issue.
  De aanhoudende pogingen om Europa politiek één te maken, lijken op drijfzand gebouwd. The relentless attempts to turn Europe into a political unity seem to be built on quicksand.
  Door onzekere cijfers als waarheid aan te nemen bouwt de VN de set van millenniumdoelstellingen op drijfzand, aldus Attaran. By accepting uncertain statistics as the truth, the UN is building a set of Millennium Objectives on quicksand, according to Mr Attaran.

Definition of quicksand

• Wet sand that things readily sink in, often found near rivers or coasts
• Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically

Examples

• My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.
• The quicksands of youth...

Related words

• quicksilver
• quickstep
• quickset
• quicksort
• quickset hedge