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Comment by someperson | Hacker News Reader

The 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

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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...

"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'.

"Knackers yard" was a place to take horses for disposal, AIUI, and we'd - by extension - call a scrapyard (for cars) "the knackers yard".

We also use knackers and knackers yard in Ireland to refer to people who dispose of dead farm animals.

And “Knacker” is also a sausage because it “knacks” when you break it in half. Knack in German has the meaning snap or crack.

I’m glad you added the origin - sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great.

"sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great."

But that's what they were made of originally - and still are in areas with bad overwatch.

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