Translation for "aus den Pütten kommen" - Germany

Can someone translate the following sentence for me. It's pütten I am having difficulty with. Or the whole sentence could have some other meaning like German sentences sometimes do.

" Die Regierung kommt nicht aus den pütten. "

Thanks

out of the starting blocks- maybe

It´s seems to be a dialectical version of "Die Regierung kommt nicht zu Potte". It´s something like "The Government has still not started its work". I´ve never heard it myself.

Thanks Frank, that makes sense. I'll be able to sleep tonight!

I'm sure I've heard it somewhere - but I don't know where. General meaning would be as Frank said - The Government can't get/hasn't yet got its arse into gear/still hasn't got on with it.

Perhaps the word is "Bütte", meaning a wooden tub containing a mixture of water and fibre used for making "Büttenpapier", i.e. hand-made paper. This type of paper making dates back to the days before machines took over.

Büttenpapier is formed on a sieve after being taken from the Bütte, and [obviously] must be allowed to dry out before it can be used. So I could imagine that the inference is that the governments work is still in the making. But I too have never heard it said.

My mother-in-law often says "Der kommt nicht aus den Puschen." with Puschen meaning bedroom slippers or Pantoffeln in northern Germany. Could Pütten be another version of that? As in the government can't get themselves into gear or get going? It's listed at Leo -Puschen There's also a debate there as to whether it's "in den Puschen kommen" or "aus den Puschen kommen" one meaning that they can't get anything done until they have their slippers on and the other meaning that they can't get anything done until they take their slippers off!

Could be also a typo for "jemand kommt nicht aus den Pötten". A variant of "zu Potte kommen".

Where did you read/hear it, Iras?

I never heard this before so I googled it and learned a new word!

Pütten are narrow, shallow artificial ponds made by excavating earth to build dikes in the low-lying areas along the North Sea.

Maybe the article in question is suggesting that the government is mired down in the mud.

I second SaraByrd's interpretation.

My wife says that "In die Pötte kommen" is a slang usage for "get cooking" in the sense of "spring into action", but nothing to do with "sh*t or get off the pot".

She'd never heard of "aus den Pütte", and said it's clearly a regional word that most Hochdeutsch-speaking people wouldn't get.

We probably need more background to figure it out if it is indeed a regional thing.

I just found this link.

I don't think there are many man-made structures like this in Germany outside of the Frisian coast.

Few people in America would know what a "weir" or a "fen" were, but would certainly know what a "dam breast" or a "swamp" are.

That's what I mean by regional usage.

No, I'm not saying it's not a regional thing, just that a bit more information from the OP might be in order. Was it written down, or just heard and who wrote it/said it and in what context.

Sorry this is wrong. The etymology of "zu Potte kommen" has to do with "sh*t".
In former times people used chamber pots at night. If you have done your peeing or sh*tting there then one "kommt zu Potte". Thus the modern meaning is "done something".
I´ll can ask at wordreference just to be sure

der Pütt, pl. die Pütte is common German for a pit (coal mine) in Rhineland/Westfalia

der Pütten, pl. Pütten is a well in the Münsterland, where a variety of Plattdeutsch is spoken(s. Sarabyrd's post and Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch)

die Pütt can also be plural of Pott in Plattdeutsch (Pütt un Pan, pots and pans), which is what is meant in the OP's example, I think. I also know the colloquial expression nicht in die/aus den Pötte(n) kommen (but also nicht zu Potte kommen) for not getting into gear. Or it's indeed a typo.