Knacker

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A knacker is a person in the trade of rendering animals that are unfit for human consumption, such as work horses that have died in harness or are too tired to work any more. This leads to the slang expression "knackered" meaning very tired. The word is derived from the old Irish word for a horse (an each) pronounced a nack. From this is derived the word for a horse dealer (an eachoir) , pronounced a nack-ower anglicised to a knacker.

Original use of the term is still common in Britain today and gained some notoriety during the outbreak of mad cow disease. The Slaughterhouses Act of 1974, the Meat (Sterilisation and Staining) Regulations of 1982 and the Food Act of 1984 all have a definition of a 'knacker's yard' as 'any premises used in connection with the business of slaughtering, flaying or cutting up animals whose flesh is not intended for human consumption.'

'Knackered' also means tired, exhausted or broken in British slang, and is still commonly used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

'Knackers' is British / Australian slang for testicles¹.

The British magazine Private Eye often refers to senior police figures in satirical articles as "inspector Knacker" or "Knacker of The Yard", a reference to Jack "Slipper of the Yard" Slipper.

The term knacker is sometimes used in Ireland to denote an Irish Traveller, though it is considered extremely derogatory. In Ireland this term may also be applied to a scanger or scum bag which are both derogatory terms in themselves. For more information see scanger.

[edit] References

• ¹ e.g. Thomas, The Virgin Soldiers.