Thursday, July 24, 2008

TODAY IN MY NEW FAVORITE COMPANY:

While walking to the g train today I was annoyed by a group of trucks and men pouring cement into a house lot and blocking the entire sidewalk. Grumpy as I was to have to walk in the street, the inconvenience ended up being a secret surprise as I turned my head and saw the name on the huge concrete pump:

Putzmeister.

Wait, it looks better with an exclamation point.

Putzmeister!!


Thinking I had stumbled across some poor schmuck with the last name that translated into "Penis" "Man" (rough Yiddish translation- my own) and then decided to start a cement pump company, I was delighted.

A little research proved that it was in fact a German company, and that "Putz" in German means "finery", based in the Germen word "putzen" for "to decorate, especially to adorn a church."

Boooring. Who knew that two putz' could have such different meanings? Also proof that Germans are not as fun as Yiddish speaking Jewish Persons.

BUT you know what, its still hilarious, for you see we have a company called:

Finery Master!

Which "Since 1958, [Putzmeister] has developed into one of the leading global providers of concrete pumps, tunnel machines, industrial pumps, mortar machines and professional high-pressure cleaners."

Hire them today!!!!

Also "penis" is German is Penis!!!!!!

BUT colloquially its more referred to as "Schwanz".

So that would have been Schwanzmeister!!! Come on!!!!

note: I just called my friend Bryan who speaks German and asked him how to say penis. I have really, really, good friends.

1 comment:

djw_bklyn said...

Yeah, also, "schmuck" in German means "jewelry." You can see it a lot on printer warning stickers: "Do not let your [schmuck] get caught between the rollers."

Now, in Yiddish, "putz" has its closest cognate in the English word "dick", because it means both... er, 'penis' and 'asshole.'

But "poots" (as opposed to "puhts") has a more Germanic meaning in Yiddish: to polish or shine.

--your friendly neighborhood Yiddish speaking Jewish Person