knacker

One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.

Noun

  1. One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.
    • Near-synonym: toymaker

    Synonyms: 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. - 1649, William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, The Variety:

    Synonyms: clapper

  3. A harnessmaker or saddlemaker; their place of business (e.g., saddlery).
    • Plow-wright , Cart-wright, Knacker and Smith - 1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and...
  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. - 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor...

    Synonyms: slaughterer slaughterman

  5. One who dismantles old ships, houses, etc. and sells their components.
    • Near-synonyms: salvager, salvor; scrapper, wrecker, breaker; shipbreaker, car breaker

    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.

    Synonyms: dobber scobe adlay bam Barry boy bazza benny bogan bopper brush charva charver chav dresser dumbo eshay gazza gippo herbert hood rat kev knacker mev ned

  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! - 2014, K. Bannerman, Mark of the Magpie, page 170:
  10. A collier's horse.

Origin

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

Forms

knackers

Derived

high-jimmy-knacker knacker's yard Knackerville

Verb

  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.

Forms

knackers knackering knackered