In support of Toni, Kot as he defines it could have meant exactly the mix of animal excrement and mud, The horse and buggy days weren't always the "good 'ol days". Schaltwerk could be translated as shift mechanism, Umwerfer as "over thrower". For the front derailleur. Schutzblech is "protective (sheet) metal. Weather plastic or wood or other the term is generic in its' usage and understanding Please keep in mind that English as we know it today is an amalgam of Angle, Saxon, Celt, Norse, French especially after 1066, plus all the other distinct languages of the Isles, etc. That's why it's so much fun to see how our cycling terminology has evloved from countries of origin, and their local usage compared to ours. Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates, CA
> In a message dated 11/29/2005 3:29:47 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> toni.theilmeier@t-online.de writes:
>
> <<
> > Sheldon Brown <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com> wrote:
> > Aside from the oft-abused "gruppo" I'm at a loss...
> > Pedal is from Italy(it's from Latin)Much of the German,French,and
> > English language is from Italy.
> > sam lingo(that's lingo from the gaelic french word not the italian
> > one)
> > pleasanton tx
>
> I´m sorry to have to contradict you there as far as the German language
> is concerned.
>
> Many of the early words came from English as of course the English more
> or less invented the bike industry. Words were imported along with
> parts and bikes, only that my forbears then went ahead and translated
> those English words into German, sometimes rather crudely.
>
> The same then was true for later additions needed because of technical
> developments, such as "Schaltwerk" or "Umwerfer". Quite clear that
> these are original German words, they are rear mech and front
> derailleur respectively. Then you have "Schutzblech", which literally
> means protection sheet metal, but don´t start thinking this has come
> off a tank, it´s our beloved mudguard, fender, garde-boue. Funnily
> enough, you can also use this expression for mudguards made from
> plastic. Prime example of a structurally protected expression.
>
> The original word again came from England. In the 1890s people
> translated it into "Kotschützer", "Kot" then meaning just mud. In the
> meantime, "Kot" has changed its meaning, as words do, to designate
> "excrement". "Kotschützer" could have become a structurally protected
> expression, but it hasn´t, and so has just died out.
>
> Regards, Toni Theilmeier, Belm, Germany. >>