The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
theguardian.com
The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
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Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#2A term I haven't heard since reading All Creatures Great And Small, where the local knackerman c. 1930 was described as a walking example of the hygiene hypothesis: surrounded by dead animals, and in the peak of health.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#3The 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
[2] Google's Oxford Languages' etymology
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#4The 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 [2] Google's…
"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.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#5The 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 [2] Google's…
"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.
It's also a very derogatory word in Ireland for a member of the travelling/gypsy community.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
"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.
It's also a very derogatory word in Ireland for a member of the travelling/gypsy community.
Who also used to be the knackermen back in the day, hence they became knows as the 'knackers'.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#7The 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 [2] Google's…
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...
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#8The Kennels of an estate I used to work at also did knackering work. Its not the faint of heart, I know of at least one stable hand who hung herself there.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#9"Knackerman" performed by Vi Hart as a stretch goal for the Worldbuilders charity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZHkr9KRM_c&ab_channel=World...
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#10> (and it is generally a job done by men)
Funny that there haven't been more efforts to make such jobs more gender inclusive, as there have been for doctors, professors and CEOs. It's as if those movements are about seeking higher status rather than greater equality.