knackers
knackers Lexical Profile
knackers Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British The testicles (used as vulgar slang).
"The cricketer winced in pain after the fast delivery struck him squarely in the knackers."
British Plural of knacker: persons whose trade is buying worn-out, injured, or dead livestock (especially horses) to slaughter them and render their carcasses into by-products such as glue, tallow, and animal feed.
"Before modern veterinary medicine, aging draft horses that could no longer pull plows were routinely sold to the knackers."
A pair of small, flat pieces of wood, bone, or metal held between the fingers and clicked together rhythmically like castanets.
"The traditional folk percussionist kept a lively beat using a pair of carved wooden knackers."
• verb
British To exhaust, tire out, or wear out completely (third-person singular present of knacker).
"Climbing those steep coastal cliffs in the summer heat really knackers even the fittest hikers."
British To damage, break, or ruin something beyond repair (third-person singular present of knacker).
"Driving over deep potholes at high speed knackers the car's suspension."
• interjection
British An exclamation used in vulgar slang to express annoyance, disappointment, or strong disbelief.
"Knackers, I left my train ticket on the kitchen counter!"
Word Nuance & Usage
While originally referring to an occupational trade dealing with worn-out livestock, this word has evolved into vulgar British and Irish slang for the testicles and an exclamation of frustration; in Ireland, the singular or plural form is also a highly derogatory ethnic slur against Irish Travellers and should be avoided in that sense.
• Rhymes for knackers
Word Origin & Etymology
Originally attested in the late 16th century as 'knacker' meaning a harness-maker or saddler (possibly from English dialect 'knack', meaning a horse's harness or trappings), the sense shifted by the early 19th century to a dealer who bought old, worn-out horses for slaughter.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.