WotD: backpack (AE), rucksack (BE)

[muckefuck]

1. der Rucksack
2. de rugzak
3. la mochila
4. la motxilla
5. le sac à dos
6. y sach gefn
7. an mála droma
8. plecak
9. 배낭 (背囊)
10. (雙肩)背包 (shuāngjiān)bēibāo

Notes: 3,4. Ultimately from Basque mutil "boy".

I've known for some time that I should invest in a backpack. The messenger bag I have is fine for small loads, but it doesn't have to get very heavy before I feel the strain in my lower back. Naturally, I've been noticing this a lot more since I've been on the crutches. The pain in the shoulder over which the strap goes is even worse. So bad, in fact, that I had to stop several times on the way home yesterday evening.

So you can well imagine how relieved I was to get home and find a shiny new backpack from the North Face lying on the dining room table. Even with everything else he had to do yesterday, monshu found time to cab it to the store at lunchtime and pick one out for me. (This is why I really don't have a right to bitch about my situation ever.) So far, I've had a little trouble adjusting the shoulder straps so they don't interfere with the crutches. (That's probably another sign I need to shorten them.) And I can't reach around to pull things from the pockets like I could before. Also the snug fit turns my back into a sheet of sweat on steamy days like today, but there shouldn't be many of those left and already I can feel the improvement in my abused joints.

Comments

[pne.livejournal.com]

I wonder why it's "Rucksack" in German and not *"Rücksack"/*"Rückensack".

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Could be a dialect borrowing. The form without umlaut appears in Goethe, for instance. Das entsprechende Wort fehlt im Alemannischen (man sagt stattdessen "Buckel"), aber "zurück" heisst dort "zrugg".

[gorkabear.livejournal.com]

We also use "cartera" as an alternative word. Here's a sample from some vintage advertising from the 70s. ¡Anda, la cartera!

[gorkabear.livejournal.com]

Hum
To be honest, those are more "briefcases" than "rucksacks".