Monday, February 20, 2023
Word of the day - Sitzpinkler
Word of the day comes from the Guardian, though there is no online version of the article at the time of writing, even though the paper has written on the subject before and even published an editorial back in 2010. 'Are you a sitzpinkler?' the paper asks, and with question we slip into a google rabbit hole of disturbing proportions.
The 2010 editorial explains. They say: lots of German men nowadays routinely sit down to pee. From quite early on, so it is claimed, German sons are taught that being a Sitzpinkler – translate it yourself – is the done thing and that being a Stehpinkler is simply antisocial. The purpose of this social revolution hardly needs detailed explanation. Stand-up men, let it simply be said, are messier than their seated brethren – and almost never bother to clean up. In some German homes, little notices are tacked to the underside of the toilet seat so that seat-raising males are reminded to consider their options. In others, a ghostly little gadget called a Spuk – a spook – similarly attached to the underside issues a verbal warning to prospective standers. When these gadgets first came on the market they were available in a variety of voices, including those of former chancellors Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder.
Niwadays the Spuk is being marketed as a WC-Geist and you can get one with the commanding voice of Angela Merkel. enough to make anybody lose their shit.
As interesting as this is one is not sure how it justifies two pages in the Guardian supplement nor the five previous articles Google reveals this paper has run on the subject in the past.
Meanwhile, for fans of Private Eye's Colmanballs column, it transpires that Bolton Football Club has laid a cunning trap for future commentators. They have renamed their stadium the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
No TV presenter is going to be saying that at any speed.
The 2010 editorial explains. They say: lots of German men nowadays routinely sit down to pee. From quite early on, so it is claimed, German sons are taught that being a Sitzpinkler – translate it yourself – is the done thing and that being a Stehpinkler is simply antisocial. The purpose of this social revolution hardly needs detailed explanation. Stand-up men, let it simply be said, are messier than their seated brethren – and almost never bother to clean up. In some German homes, little notices are tacked to the underside of the toilet seat so that seat-raising males are reminded to consider their options. In others, a ghostly little gadget called a Spuk – a spook – similarly attached to the underside issues a verbal warning to prospective standers. When these gadgets first came on the market they were available in a variety of voices, including those of former chancellors Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder.
Niwadays the Spuk is being marketed as a WC-Geist and you can get one with the commanding voice of Angela Merkel. enough to make anybody lose their shit.
As interesting as this is one is not sure how it justifies two pages in the Guardian supplement nor the five previous articles Google reveals this paper has run on the subject in the past.
Meanwhile, for fans of Private Eye's Colmanballs column, it transpires that Bolton Football Club has laid a cunning trap for future commentators. They have renamed their stadium the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
No TV presenter is going to be saying that at any speed.
