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knacker

verb

  1. wear out, ruin
L1522400 on Wikidata ↗

noun

  1. one who removes dead animals and makes use of them
L184538 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈnakə/ / /ˈnækɚ/

noun

Etymology: From Old Norse hnak (“saddle”) (whence Icelandic hnakkur (“saddle”)).

  1. One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.

    Near-synonym: toymaker

  2. One of two or more pieces of bone or wood held loosely between the fingers, and struck together by moving the hand.

    A Bachanalian dancing the Spanish Morisco, with knackers at his fingers.

  3. A harnessmaker or saddlemaker; their place of business (e.g., saddlery).

    Plow-wright , Cart-wright, Knacker and Smith

  4. One who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides.

    Near-synonyms: slaughterer, slaughterman

    After a few years even the whip loses its virtue, and the pony goes to the knacker.

  5. One who dismantles old ships, houses, etc. and sells their components.

    Near-synonyms: salvager, salvor; scrapper, wrecker, breaker; shipbreaker, car breaker

  6. An itinerant person, especially one of Irish Traveller heritage.
  7. A person of lower social class; a chav, skanger, or similar.
  8. A testicle.

    He looked like someone had put a 9mm full metal jacket round through his left scrotum. He even had his mouth open in some parody of a soundless scream, much as I imagined I would do if someone shot my left knacker off.

  9. An old, worn-out horse.

    Believe me, you can get an old knacker for cheap at the glue yard, but it won't carry you as far as a thoroughbred!

  10. A collier's horse.

verb

Etymology: From Old Norse hnak (“saddle”) (whence Icelandic hnakkur (“saddle”)).

  1. To tire out, exhaust; to beat up and use up (something), leaving it worn out and damaged.

    Carrying that giant statue up those stairs completely knackered me.

    That table that I was going to put the statue on may not suffice, as it's completely knackered.

  2. To reprimand.