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knocker

[ nok-er ]
/ ˈnɒk ər /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knocker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that knocks.
a hinged knob, bar, etc., on a door, for use in knocking.
Informal. a persistent and carping critic; faultfinder.
Slang: Vulgar. a female breast.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. knock-on,
  2. knock-on effect,
  3. knockabout,
  4. knockdown,
  5. knocked-down,
  6. knocking copy,
  7. knocking-shop,
  8. knockoff,
  9. knockout,
  10. knockout drops

Idioms

    on the knocker, British Slang. canvassing or selling door-to-door.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for knocker

British Dictionary definitions for knocker

knocker

/ (ˈnɒkə) /

noun

an object, usually ornamental and made of metal, attached to a door by a hinge and used for knocking
informal a person who finds fault or disparages
(usually plural) slang a female breast
a person or thing that knocks
on the knocker Australian and NZ informal promptly; at onceyou pay on the knocker here
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

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper