knacker

noun

1. One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc.

   “Near-synonym: toymaker”

2. One of two or more pieces of bone or wood held loosely between the fingers, and struck together by moving the hand.

   “A Bachanalian dancing the Spanish Morisco, with knackers at his fingers.”

3. (archaic)A harnessmaker or saddlemaker; their place of business (e.g., saddlery).

   “Plow-wright , Cart-wright, Knacker and Smith”

4. One who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides.

   “Near-synonyms: slaughterer, slaughterman”

   “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.

   “Near-synonyms: salvager, salvor; scrapper, wrecker, breaker; shipbreaker, car breaker”

6. (British, Ireland, ethnic, offensive, slur)An itinerant person, especially one of Irish Traveller heritage.
7. (Ireland, offensive, slang)A person of lower social class; a chav, skanger, or similar.
8. (UK, in-plural, slang, vulgar)A testicle.

   “He looked like someone had put a 9mm full metal jacket round through his left scrotum. He even had his mouth open in some parody of a soundless scream, much as I imagined I would do if someone shot my left knacker off.”

9. An old, worn-out horse.

   “Believe me, you can get an old knacker for cheap at the glue yard, but it won't carry you as far as a thoroughbred!”

10. (UK, dialectal, obsolete)A collier's horse.

verb

1. (UK, slang, transitive)To tire out, exhaust; to beat up and use up (something), leaving it worn out and damaged.

   “Carrying that giant statue up those stairs completely knackered me.”

   “That table that I was going to put the statue on may not suffice, as it's completely knackered.”

2. (UK, slang, transitive)To reprimand.