knacker

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

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: năkə, IPA^(key): /ˈnækə/
• (General American) enPR: năkər, IPA^(key): /ˈnækɚ/
• Rhymes: -ækə(r)
• Hyphenation: knack‧er

knacker (plural knackers)

1. One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Mortimer to this entry?)

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.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

3. A harness maker.
4. One who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides.
   • 1933, George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, Ch. XXII, Harvest / Harcourt paperback edition, pg. 117-118,

     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, Britain, 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. (Britain, dialectal, obsolete) A collier's horse.

• knacker's yard

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

1. (slang) To tire out, exhaust.

   Carrying that giant statue up those stairs knackered me out

2. (slang) To reprimand.

   Digital giants Dstv and Vision Group’s Bukedde Television didn’t go untouched with the former lashed for laxities in re-connection especially in cases where a subscriber renewed their subscription by Mobile Money, while the latter got knackered for promoting witchcraft and witch doctors. ( http://trumpetnews.co.ug/2017/03/16/1615/ )