Dutch gold

noun Sometimes Offensive.

an alloy of copper and zinc in the form of thin sheets, used as an imitation of gold leaf.

Also called Dutch foil, Dutch leaf, Dutch metal.

Usage note

Dutch gold is not really gold. Because Dutch is used to mean “inauthentic” or “fake,” the term is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. See also Dutch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for dutch metal

Dutch metal

Dutch gold

noun

a substitute for gold leaf, consisting of thin sheets of copper that have been turned yellow by exposure to the fumes of molten zinc

Dutch gold

noun

another name for Dutch metal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012