Why Is It Called a “Kackhocker”?

That we only talk about the toilet in euphemisms: “popping out,” “number two,” “bowel movement.” Products for it therefore get names that give away as little as possible. The Kackhocker doesn't play along.

The word. The German “kacken” goes back to the Latin cacare and came into German through colloquial and children's speech. It's crude but not a swear word – more the word you use when you don't want to beat around the bush.

The many names. The same object is called a toilet stool, a loo stool, a bathroom stool, a footstool, or indeed a poop stool. In English, a brand name has caught on in many places, the way Kleenex or Band-Aid have. What they all mean: a small stool that raises your feet when you go.

Why this particular name sticks. It describes the purpose without a detour. “Toilet stool” could also be a step for reaching the bathroom cabinet. “Poop stool” can't be anything else.

What the name gives away. A crude word works this well partly because it skips the shame. Anyone who says “Kackhocker” grins – and has already said more about going to the toilet than any polite euphemism ever would.

“The word is indecent.”
Crude, yes. If anything is indecent, it's that the subject otherwise goes unmentioned.

“A poop stool is a step for kids.”
No. It's designed for adults – though children benefit just as much.

“A Kackhocker and a toilet stool are different things.”
The same thing, named once directly and once politely.

“You only need one if you're constipated.”
It changes your posture every time you go, not only when something's wrong.

One object with many names, and the crudest is the most honest. It says what the stool is for – and that you can talk about it without blushing.