There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots." g

Thanks, Lloyd.

--
Ed Huntress

On 3/8/2012 7:37 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:
On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

No, it doesn't. The verb "putzen" means "to clean". It means a whole
lot of things pertaining to cleaning as well.

"Putz" also means plaster. Putzmeister is a manufacturer of concrete
pumps and other pumps for slurry, sewage, etc. A Putzer is a plasterer.



So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots."g

Thanks, Lloyd.

Ed Huntress wrote in
:

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
m:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

It would make more sense if it were correct.

And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots." g

I'm afraid your understanding of its meaning isn't correct either. "Putz", as a noun, in German
means a small child; it can also mean dirty clothes (see a connection there?). In Yiddish, it's
vulgar slang for "penis".

On Thu, 8 Mar 2012 19:06:38 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
wrote:

Ed Huntress wrote in
:

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

It would make more sense if it were correct.

And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots." g

I'm afraid your understanding of its meaning isn't correct either. "Putz", as a noun, in German
means a small child; it can also mean dirty clothes (see a connection there?). In Yiddish, it's
vulgar slang for "penis".
And those concrete pumpers have one very long "penis". My brother and
I have always laughed at those trucks. The company must have known
that some americans would think of that name as meaning "Master
Penis".

On 3/8/2012 11:29 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 8 Mar 2012 19:06:38 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
wrote:

Ed wrote in
:

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

It would make more sense if it were correct.

And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots."g

I'm afraid your understanding of its meaning isn't correct either. "Putz", as a noun, in German
means a small child; it can also mean dirty clothes (see a connection there?). In Yiddish, it's
vulgar slang for "penis".
And those concrete pumpers have one very long "penis". My brother and
I have always laughed at those trucks. The company must have known
that some americans would think of that name as meaning "Master
Penis".

When I lived in Germany for 18 months in 1985-86, I didn't have a sense
that Germans gave much thought to how Americans regarded German words.

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:29:27 -0800, wrote:

On Thu, 8 Mar 2012 19:06:38 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
wrote:

Ed Huntress wrote in
m:

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
m:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

It would make more sense if it were correct.

And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots." g

I'm afraid your understanding of its meaning isn't correct either. "Putz", as a noun, in German
means a small child; it can also mean dirty clothes (see a connection there?). In Yiddish, it's
vulgar slang for "penis".
And those concrete pumpers have one very long "penis". My brother and
I have always laughed at those trucks. The company must have known
that some americans would think of that name as meaning "Master
Penis".

Well, yeah, what the heck? Most of us are more likely to know the
vulgar definitions of anything. d8-)

English dictionaries also say "idiot." Maybe they mean us, for not
knowing what it means.

--
Ed Huntress

On 3/8/2012 11:06 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
Ed wrote in
:

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:15 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Ed fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

So I'd believe that their equipment is designed to "put" stuff... lift
it, move it, place it...

LLoyd

Aha! That would make sense. Their primary product is concrete pumps.

It would make more sense if it were correct.

If what were correct - their main product is concrete pumps? It is.
From their web page, at http://www.putzmeister.com/enu/index.htm:

"Concrete, mortar, solids pumps, underground concreting"

Also:

Putzmeister develops, produces, sells and serves its customers
worldwide with technically high-quality and service-oriented
machines in the following areas: Placing of concrete, Truck-
mounted concrete pumps, Stationary concrete pumps, Stationary
placing booms and accessories, industrial technology, pipe
delivery of industrial solids, concrete placement and removal of
excavated material in tunnels and underground, Robot and materials
handling technology, Mortar machines, Plastering machines, Screed
conveying, Injection and special applications.


And it's a big relief. I was afraid they were "masters of idiots."g

I'm afraid your understanding of its meaning isn't correct either. "Putz", as a noun, in German
means a small child; it can also mean dirty clothes (see a connection there?). In Yiddish, it's
vulgar slang for "penis".

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in
. 3.70:

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

It means nothing of the sort. The German word meaning "to put" is "stecken".

"Putzen" means "to clean".

On Thu, 8 Mar 2012 19:04:10 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
wrote:

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in
.3.70:

Ed Huntress fired this volley in
:

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I have only a smattering of German from back in the 80s, but "Putz" means
"Put".

It means nothing of the sort. The German word meaning "to put" is "stecken".

"Putzen" means "to clean".

This.

E.g Putzfrau is a cleaning woman. Putzmeister suggests "cleaning
master". (NB "Meister Proper" is German Mr. Clean).

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On 2012-03-08, Ed Huntress wrote:
There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I believe that it is mortar master. They make concrete pumps.

i

Ignoramus2551 fired this volley in
:

I believe that it is mortar master. They make concrete pumps.

Quite possible, though I don't have that nuance in what German I learned.

Like English, Germans tend to use one word for more than one meaning.

It might mean mortar, too.

More interesting, though, is what Germans do when they don't _have_ a
word to describe something. Then they just string other ones together
into a single noun that can be dozens of syllables long! G

LLoyd

On 3/8/2012 8:15 AM, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
fired this volley in
:

I believe that it is mortar master. They make concrete pumps.

Quite possible, though I don't have that nuance in what German I learned.

Like English, Germans tend to use one word for more than one meaning.

It might mean mortar, too.

More interesting, though, is what Germans do when they don't _have_ a
word to describe something. Then they just string other ones together
into a single noun that can be dozens of syllables long!G

Here's a list with a few exceptionally long German nouns:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~waterbuf/longwrds.html Following the fourth
one are some funny pseudo-words.

The longest one I remember from my residency in Germany is
Geschwindigkeitsüberschreitung. It means a speeding ticket. The
Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung is the speed limit.

"Ignoramus2551" wrote in message
...
On 2012-03-08, Ed Huntress wrote:
There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.


I believe that it is mortar master. They make concrete pumps.

i
http://sanygroup.com/group/en-us/med...xt_content.htm
?1963 Birth of Putzmeister



In 1963, the name of KS-Maschinenbau was replaced by Putzmeister, which
means "master of mortar" in German. Putzmeister has never left the concrete
machinery industry ever since. Putzmeister's 'Elephant' concrete pump gained
its popularity in early 70s, and has gradually made the company one of the
global leaders in terms of market share, geographic coverage, technology
advance as well as product range in concrete pumping industry.

"ATP" wrote in message
...

In 1963, the name of KS-Maschinenbau was replaced by Putzmeister,
which means "master of mortar" in German.

Becoming a Yiddish insult doesn't disqualify a word from standard
German. "Family jewels" hasn't corrupted "jewels", and Dick and Peter
are still acceptable names.
http://www.klimt02.net/fairs/schmuck-2012

jsw

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message
...

"ATP" wrote in message
...

In 1963, the name of KS-Maschinenbau was replaced by Putzmeister, which
means "master of mortar" in German.

Becoming a Yiddish insult doesn't disqualify a word from standard German.
"Family jewels" hasn't corrupted "jewels", and Dick and Peter are still
acceptable names.
http://www.klimt02.net/fairs/schmuck-2012

jsw
Yes, although certain combinations should probably be avoided. For example,
if your last name is Head or Liss, naming your son Richard might make middle
school a bit more difficult..

On 3/8/2012 7:04 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:
There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.

"Putz" also means plaster in German.

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:23:39 -0800, George Plimpton
wrote:

On 3/8/2012 7:04 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:
There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.

"Putz" also means plaster in German.

Gottcha. Thanks.

--
Ed Huntress

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:04:52 -0500, Ed Huntress
wrote:

There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.

From my vast experience of ordering beers in East, West and United
German, I summon the powers of Google and..

http://www.putzmeister.com/enu/1958-1965.htm

New name: "Putzmeister" - for master plastering.. and indeed Google
Translate says "plaster" is "putz" in German.

So, when you plaster something you are putzing around putting
something pretty much purely decorative on there, which could
represent a common origin with the slang 'putz' term.

On 3/8/2012 11:33 AM, Spehro Pefhany wrote:
On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:04:52 -0500, Ed Huntress
wrote:

There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.

From my vast experience of ordering beers in East, West and United
German, I summon the powers of Google and..

http://www.putzmeister.com/enu/1958-1965.htm

New name: "Putzmeister" - for master plastering.. and indeed Google
Translate says "plaster" is "putz" in German.

So, when you plaster something you are putzing around putting
something pretty much purely decorative on there, which could
represent a common origin with the slang 'putz' term.

Your putz may be purely decorative, but you should speak only for yourself.

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:33:41 -0500, Spehro Pefhany
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:04:52 -0500, Ed Huntress
wrote:

There is a story in the news today about a Chinese company that bought
a German construction-equipment company named Putzmeister.

Now, I thought I knew what a "putz" was, and I know what "meister"
means, but I can't believe the two of them were put together to form a
company name.

I hope that someone familiar with German can explain this.

From my vast experience of ordering beers in East, West and United
German, I summon the powers of Google and..

http://www.putzmeister.com/enu/1958-1965.htm

New name: "Putzmeister" - for master plastering.. and indeed Google
Translate says "plaster" is "putz" in German.

So, when you plaster something you are putzing around putting
something pretty much purely decorative on there, which could
represent a common origin with the slang 'putz' term.

And here I thought maybe they were bragging about their sexual
prowess.

--
Ed Huntress