puddle jumper

[darkoshi]

Looking at a map, I saw a "Puddle Jumper Lane" and thought that was a cute name, thinking of someone who jumps over or into puddles.

Then I did a search on "puddle jumper" and found it is a term used for small aircraft (which may also be called "puddle hoppers").

Interestingly (since cars drive through puddles rather than doing any jumping), puddle jumper was used to refer to cars before it was used for airplanes:
What is the origin of the term “puddle jumper” for a smaller commercial airplane? (quora)
What is the origin of the term “puddle jumper” for a smaller commercial airplane? (reddit)

Comments

Puddle

[(Anonymous)]

For longer distance aircraft bodies of water like the Atlantic Ocean are often referred to as “the pond.”

Re: Puddle

[darkoshi]

I had heard of that before. And so Puddle Jumper in terms of a plane makes sense. It also makes me think of those kind of planes that can take off and land in water, ie. jumping from one puddle to another.

The car origin makes less sense to me, but I guess cars let people avoid having to walk through and jump over puddles on foot.