Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Peter Liked this one specially: http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/switzerland/curl_st.htm Looks like she's offering you a french kiss not a swiss ;-) Many people in the french part have german swiss origins or the other way round. "Schmutz" is a very common last name here. I'd definitely prefer it to "Wichser", another not uncommon last name. I leave it to your german skills if you understand it or not... Didier >Re: <http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/switzerland/01-03Geneva.htm> > >Frank: "Schmutz" means "dirt" in German and Yiddish. It's not a French >word, but it is a legitimate surname in French. > >So, the picture is a multilingual pun: Monsieur Dirt named his Geneva >business after himself. And to me, it's doubly funny because of the way my >Nana used the word. > >Nana (my maternal grandmother), was a Parisian Jew, and spoke both French >and Yiddish in addition to English. She used "schmutz" even when speaking >English, as if it were one of those words that had connotations beyond what >English could express. When Nana said "schmutz," it often referred to New >York soot that had built up for months behind the furniture, or slimy >kitchen refuse. Or, euphemistically, that which makes dirty diapers dirty. >In other words, it wasn't mere dirt, it was especially dirty dirt. > >So there I am walking across a bridge in Geneva, hearing French all around >me, which makes me think of Nana. Just then, a red car emblazoned "Schumtz >& Cie" stops in traffic right beside me. Serendipity. > >Just for fun, I Googled the business name on the car. It's a electrical >and mechanical shop specializing in motors, pumps, fans and such. I >remember seeing something to that effect on car's lettering on the original >scan, thanks to the superior sharpness of Summicron M lenses (on topic). > >Here they are: ><http://www.schmutz-cie.ch/home.aspx> >They're hiring! ><http://www.swissindustries.com/html/Schmutz/Recherche%20m%E9canicien.htm> > >-Peter > >Frank Dernie asked: >>is there a funny meaning for the word which we English would never >>have heard? >>Frank > > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information