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The term "knackered" (British slang for tired or exhausted) may have derived from the term "knacker" (a slang term meaning "to kill," but also "to tire, exhaust

The term "knackered" (British slang for tired or exhausted) may have derived from the term "knacker" (a slang term meaning "to kill," but also "to tire, exhaust, or wear out." [1]) And the origin of the term "knack" itself is "probably related to obsolete knack ‘sharp blow or sound’, of imitative origin (compare with Dutch knak ‘crack, snap’)" [2] [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knackered https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knackered [2] Google's Oxford Languages' etymology

domano 6y ago
"Knacker" is a somewhat oldish word for "old guy" in german - maybe related? Also comes from the word "knack" with the same meaning as in dutch.
- secondcoming 6y ago
  It's also a very derogatory word in Ireland for a member of the travelling/gypsy community.
  - celticninja 6y ago
    Who also used to be the knackermen back in the day, hence they became knows as the 'knackers'.
    - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
      "Knackers yard" was a place to take horses for disposal, AIUI, and we'd - by extension - call a scrapyard (for cars) "the knackers yard".
  - distributedsean 6y ago
    We also use knackers and knackers yard in Ireland to refer to people who dispose of dead farm animals.
- ruph123 6y ago
  And “Knacker” is also a sausage because it “knacks” when you break it in half. Knack in German has the meaning snap or crack.
  - lostlogin 6y ago
    I’m glad you added the origin - sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great.
    - hutzlibu 6y ago
      "sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great." But that's what they were made of originally - and still are in areas with bad overwatch.
morsch 6y ago
On a sidenote, many speakers of English probably are unfamiliar with the pronunciation of Dutch knakken or German Knacker (ˈknakɐ, you can listen to Google Translate's rather mediocre rendition[1]). Kn in word-initial position is fairly common, and the k is not silent in these languages, nor is there an aspiration between k and n. [1] https://translate.google.com/?sl=de&tl=en&text=Knacker%0A&op=translate https://translate.google.com/?sl=de&tl=en&text=Knacker%0A&op...

domano 6y ago

"Knacker" is a somewhat oldish word for "old guy" in german - maybe related? Also comes from the word "knack" with the same meaning as in dutch.

secondcoming 6y ago
It's also a very derogatory word in Ireland for a member of the travelling/gypsy community.
- celticninja 6y ago
  Who also used to be the knackermen back in the day, hence they became knows as the 'knackers'.
  - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
    "Knackers yard" was a place to take horses for disposal, AIUI, and we'd - by extension - call a scrapyard (for cars) "the knackers yard".
- distributedsean 6y ago
  We also use knackers and knackers yard in Ireland to refer to people who dispose of dead farm animals.
ruph123 6y ago
And “Knacker” is also a sausage because it “knacks” when you break it in half. Knack in German has the meaning snap or crack.
- lostlogin 6y ago
  I’m glad you added the origin - sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great.
  - hutzlibu 6y ago
    "sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great." But that's what they were made of originally - and still are in areas with bad overwatch.

morsch 6y ago

On a sidenote, many speakers of English probably are unfamiliar with the pronunciation of Dutch knakken or German Knacker (ˈknakɐ, you can listen to Google Translate's rather mediocre rendition[1]). Kn in word-initial position is fairly common, and the k is not silent in these languages, nor is there an aspiration between k and n. [1] https://translate.google.com/?sl=de&tl=en&text=Knacker%0A&op=translate https://translate.google.com/?sl=de&tl=en&text=Knacker%0A&op...