knacker

American  

[nak-er] / ˈnæk ər /

noun

British.

1. a person who buys animal carcasses or slaughters useless livestock for a knackery or rendering works.

2. a person who buys and dismembers old houses, ships, etc., to salvage usable parts, selling the rest as scrap.

3. Dialect. an old, sick, or useless farm animal, especially a horse.

4. Obsolete. a harness maker; a saddler.

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knacker British  

/ ˈnækə /

noun

1. a person who buys up old horses for slaughter

2. a person who buys up old buildings and breaks them up for scrap

3. slang (usually plural) another word for testicle

4. slang a despicable person

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verb

1. slang (tr; usually passive) to exhaust; tire

Etymology

Origin of knacker

1565–75; knack (< Scandinavian; compare Icelandic hnakkr nape of the neck, saddle) + -er ¹

Example Sentences

One of the first things he said was: "I'm worried that the radiotherapy might seriously knacker my voice. I'm a stand-up, so this treatment could save my life, but kill my career."

From BBC

She worked so hard to prove them wrong that "I used to knacker myself senseless", she said.

From BBC

Alternatively, you could waste £12m on a reserve striker who knackers his hamstring after two games and goes back home on loan in the summer.

From BBC

They almost resembled the rendering vats that knackers use for tallow.

From Literature

The referendum result is a tremendous kick in the knackers for Britain’s centrist ruling elite.

From The Wall Street Journal