Kupscheller

In the East Prussian dialect, a Kupscheller is a windy or enterprising trader who wants to make good profits with minimal effort. The word has a slightly negative connotation, since it is assumed that the seriousness of the trader suffers from his business acumen. Today one would most likely ascribe this term to a (dubious) used car dealer.

origin

The origin of the word certainly has a Slavic origin due to the different ethnic groups in East Prussia . In Polish there is the word kupować = to buy and in Russian the word скупщик = skupschik = buyer, buyer, forerunner. Kupschell, Kupscheller (lit. kupčius a. Polish kupiec). See also: Lituanisms and Baltisms in East Prussia. Traditionally, family names also result from the profession: Kupschell, Kuppschell, etc.

Typical quotes

• The pracker lives carefree on other profits, the Kupscheller only has the trade in mind and can never get enough of it; such a man is vengeful!
• The neighbor Kiwitt was a Kupscheller for them, his children Lapse and Luntrusse.
• The Kupscheller dealer. - The horse dealer, the fish dealer is a Kupscheller. He comes from the village population. - Also: Kupschus!