Putz Master

putzmeister.jpg
This is a close up of a concrete pump in Shanghai, in front of a new gargantuan shopping mall under construction along the Bund. I had never seen a Putzmeister until then, and so I assumed that Putzmeister was a Chinese company that made cheaper versions of Caterpillar equipment.
Putzmeister is considered world-wide as the pioneer for equipment plant and systems for concrete, mortar and high-density solid pumps”, but the one thing that sticks out to me about this German company is its name. I know nothing about German except that:
“Jager” = “Hunter” and
“Meister” = “Master”,
therefore, “Jagermeister” = “Master Hunter”.
In this vein “Putzmeister” means “Master Putz”.
I am guessing that “putz” is an onomatopoeic word, roughly equivalent to “putt” as in the sound that a running engine makes. If this pump does belch out the greatest of the putts, it must sound like all of the Titans letting out trouser-ripping farts in quick succession. I’m just trying to say that I think that Putzmeister has a nice ring to it, in a German-ish sort of way.

Category(s): Strange Words

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