knacker

From Old Norse hnak (“saddle”) (whence Icelandic hnakkur (“saddle”)), hur (“horse”) — the profession of saddlemaker.

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: năkə, IPA^(key): /ˈnakə/
• (General American) enPR: năkər, IPA^(key): /ˈnækɚ/

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• Rhymes: -ækə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: knack‧er

knacker (plural knackers)

1. One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.
2. One of two or more pieces of bone or wood held loosely between the fingers, and struck together by moving the hand; a clapper.
   • 1649, William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, The Variety:

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

3. A harness maker.
   • 1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], published 1708, →OCLC:

     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.
   • 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:

     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.
6. (Ireland, British, offensive) A member of the Travelling Community; a Gypsy.
7. (Ireland, offensive, slang) A person of lower social class; a chav, skanger or scobe.
8. (UK, slang, vulgar, chiefly in the plural) A testicle.
   • 2013, Perry Gamsby, Never Be Unsaid, page 136:

     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.
   • 2014, K. Bannerman, Mark of the Magpie, page 170:

     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. (UK, dialect, obsolete) A collier's horse.

• high-jimmy-knacker
• knacker's yard

knacker (third-person singular simple present knackers, present participle knackering, simple past and past participle knackered)

1. (UK, slang, transitive) To tire out, exhaust.

   Carrying that giant statue up those stairs completely knackered me.

2. (UK, slang, transitive) To reprimand.