 The nickname had its origins in a late-night conversation between Krupinski and Resch.His father was a professor of Slavic studies in Dresden.When Krupinski tried to explain his East Prussian origin, Resch informed him that the ending in "-ski" or "-zky" denoted a landowner, or that it indicated a "Freiherr" ("free lord"), and thus the lowest level in the medieval noble hierarchy in the East.