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knocker

[nok-er]
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noun
  1. a person or thing that knocks.
  2. a hinged knob, bar, etc., on a door, for use in knocking.
  3. Informal. a persistent and carping critic; faultfinder.
  4. Slang: Vulgar. a female breast.
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Idioms
  1. on the knocker, British Slang. canvassing or selling door-to-door.
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Origin of knocker

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at knock, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for knocker

carper, caviler, censor, nitpicker, quibbler, faultfinder, hypercritic, knocker

Examples from the Web for knocker

Historical Examples of knocker

  • When he tried the knocker, a bobby came along and stopped him.

    The Black Bag

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • What souvenir of a great man can compete with the knocker of his door?

  • Surely if any knocker is characteristic of its owner this one is.

  • A knocker of slender grace is the best feature of the hardware.

  • At the rat-tat-tat of the knocker her heart flew into her mouth.

    To-morrow

    Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for knocker

knocker

noun
  1. an object, usually ornamental and made of metal, attached to a door by a hinge and used for knocking
  2. informal a person who finds fault or disparages
  3. (usually plural) slang a female breast
  4. a person or thing that knocks
  5. on the knocker Australian and NZ informal promptly; at onceyou pay on the knocker here
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for knocker

n.

late 14c., agent noun from knock. Sense of "door banger" is by 1590s. Knockers "a woman's breasts" is slang attested from 1941.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper