What does “Puffer” mean in German?

These crispy Süßkartoffelpuffer are named after a noise: puffen, the puffing and popping of batter hitting hot oil. That’s the actual etymology — a Puffer is “the thing that goes puff,” a name the potato fritter earned in the 19th century. The same word also means a buffer: the bumpers on a train, a time cushion in your schedule, even computing’s buffer.

Depending on the region, the same fritter is a Reibekuchen, a Reiberdatschi, or — as the clip offers — a Bratling. The buffer sense is just as alive: einen Puffer einplanen is to build slack into your plans. One kitchen sound, two very different careers for a single word.