"knacker's yard" meaning in English

See knacker's yard in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈnæk.əz ˌjɑːd/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈnæ.kɚz ˌjɑɹd/ [General-American] Audio: En-uk-knacker's yard.oga Forms: knackers' yards [plural]
Etymology: From knacker (“one who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides”) + -'s + yard. Head templates: {{en-noun|knackers' yards}} knacker's yard (plural knackers' yards)
  1. The area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption or other purposes are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue. Categories (topical): Fictional locations Synonyms: knackery, schindery Related terms: Inspector Knacker, knacker, knackered [adjective] Translations (area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials): kafilerie [feminine] (Czech), équarrissoir [masculine] (French), Abdeckerei [feminine] (German), Kafillerei [feminine] (German)
    Sense id: en-knacker's_yard-en-noun-0rZBXgwT Disambiguation of Fictional locations: 81 19 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Polish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 58 42 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 73 27 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 69 31 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 85 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 71 29 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 71 29 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 74 26 Disambiguation of 'area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials': 97 3
  2. (colloquial, figuratively) A (notional) place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use. Tags: colloquial, figuratively
    Sense id: en-knacker's_yard-en-noun-O560c7TM Categories (other): Terms with Czech translations Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 50 50

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_text": "From knacker (“one who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides”) + -'s + yard.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knackers' yards",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "knackers' yards"
      },
      "expansion": "knacker's yard (plural knackers' yards)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "knack‧er's"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "58 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "73 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "69 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "85 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Czech translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "71 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "71 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 19",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fictional locations",
          "orig": "en:Fictional locations",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1847 June 21, “[10 & 11 Victoriæ] Cap. XXXIV. An Act for Consolidating in One Act Certain Provisions usually Contained in Acts for Paving, Draining, Cleansing, Lighting, and Improving Towns.”, in A Compendious Abstract of the Public General Acts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: 10 Victoriæ—1847. […], volume XXV, London: Printed by James Holmes, […]; published by E. B. Ince, […], →OCLC, sections CXXV and CXXVI, page 134:",
          "text": "CXXV. The Commissioners may license such slaughter-house and knacker's yards^([sic]) as they from time to time think proper for slaughtering cattle within the limits of the special Act. CXXVI. No place shall be used or occupied as a slaughter-house or knacker's yard within the said limits which was not in such use and occupation at the time of the passing of the special Act, [...]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1853, George W[illiam] M[acArthur] Reynolds, “Following Up the Clue”, in The Mysteries of the Court of London, volume V (Third Series, volume I), London: Published, for Mr. Reynolds, by John Dicks, […], →OCLC, page 243, column 1:",
          "text": "It was a horrible smell of corrupt flesh and mouldy bones, mingling with the sickly steam of from cauldrons in which the anatomized animals were seething down. None save those who have been so unfortunate as to venture upon the confines of a knacker's yard, can possibly conceive the horrible nausea produced by these blended effluvia: it was enough to make the strongest stomach heave and become sick.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1855, John Timbs, “Markets”, in Curiosities of London: Exhibiting the Most Rare and Remarkable Objects of Interest in the Metropolis; […], London: David Bogue, […], →OCLC, page 500:",
          "text": "[T]he market [Smithfield Market] is surrounded by slaughter-houses and knackers' yards, tallow-melting, bone-boiling, tripe-washing, and other offensive trades; [...]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1955, The Sanitarian: The Official Journal of the Sanitary Inspectors’ Association, volume 63, London: Sanitary Inspectors’ Association, →OCLC, page 406:",
          "text": "The information given when the first animal was presented for slaughter was that lead paint had been consumed and that three other animals of the same herd had died and had been sent to a knackers yard.^([sic])",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Judith Flanders, “The World’s Market”, in The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Dunne Books, →ISBN, part 2 (Staying Alive), page 138:",
          "text": "In the 1820s, it was estimated that 400 horses a week were slaughtered via licensed horse-butchers (more commonly known as knackers' yards); by mid-century the number had risen to 1,000 horses weekly, and knackers' yards dotted the poorer districts – [...]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption or other purposes are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue."
      ],
      "id": "en-knacker's_yard-en-noun-0rZBXgwT",
      "links": [
        [
          "area",
          "area"
        ],
        [
          "slaughterhouse",
          "slaughterhouse"
        ],
        [
          "carcass",
          "carcass"
        ],
        [
          "unfit",
          "unfit"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ],
        [
          "consumption",
          "consumption"
        ],
        [
          "purposes",
          "purpose#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "rendered",
          "render#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "produce",
          "produce#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "useful",
          "useful"
        ],
        [
          "materials",
          "material#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "glue",
          "glue#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "61 39",
          "word": "Inspector Knacker"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "61 39",
          "word": "knacker"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "61 39",
          "tags": [
            "adjective"
          ],
          "word": "knackered"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "knackery"
        },
        {
          "word": "schindery"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "kafilerie"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "équarrissoir"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Abdeckerei"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Kafillerei"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "note": "bakutil m (approximation; literally referring to feed manufacturing companies)",
          "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Czech translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I’ve never met someone so incompetent. He’s only fit for the knacker’s yard.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Planning: Journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute, London: Planning Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 1:",
          "text": "No-one would argue that the system is perfect. But as it nears pensionable age, only deranged free marketeers want to see it packed off to the knacker's yard.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Laurie McTaggart, “My Book of Life is Overdue at the Great Library in the Sky”, in Bell Street Blues: Poems, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Matador, →ISBN, page 86:",
          "text": "By then, of course, we and the book are in a sorry state, / scuffed and grubby and having been used / often for purposes not strictly intended, / from doorstop to lavatory-paper, / and ended up in a knacker's yard. / I'm in the knacker's yard. Have been for a while … / and, really, there are worse places to be.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A (notional) place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use."
      ],
      "id": "en-knacker's_yard-en-noun-O560c7TM",
      "links": [
        [
          "notional",
          "notional"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "send",
          "send"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "object",
          "object#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "spent",
          "spent#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "reasonable",
          "reasonable"
        ],
        [
          "use",
          "use#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial, figuratively) A (notional) place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈnæk.əz ˌjɑːd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-uk-knacker's yard.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8a/En-uk-knacker%27s_yard.oga/En-uk-knacker%27s_yard.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/En-uk-knacker%27s_yard.oga"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈnæ.kɚz ˌjɑɹd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "knacker's yard"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "en:Fictional locations"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From knacker (“one who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides”) + -'s + yard.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knackers' yards",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "knackers' yards"
      },
      "expansion": "knacker's yard (plural knackers' yards)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "knack‧er's"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Inspector Knacker"
    },
    {
      "word": "knacker"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "adjective"
      ],
      "word": "knackered"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1847 June 21, “[10 & 11 Victoriæ] Cap. XXXIV. An Act for Consolidating in One Act Certain Provisions usually Contained in Acts for Paving, Draining, Cleansing, Lighting, and Improving Towns.”, in A Compendious Abstract of the Public General Acts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: 10 Victoriæ—1847. […], volume XXV, London: Printed by James Holmes, […]; published by E. B. Ince, […], →OCLC, sections CXXV and CXXVI, page 134:",
          "text": "CXXV. The Commissioners may license such slaughter-house and knacker's yards^([sic]) as they from time to time think proper for slaughtering cattle within the limits of the special Act. CXXVI. No place shall be used or occupied as a slaughter-house or knacker's yard within the said limits which was not in such use and occupation at the time of the passing of the special Act, [...]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1853, George W[illiam] M[acArthur] Reynolds, “Following Up the Clue”, in The Mysteries of the Court of London, volume V (Third Series, volume I), London: Published, for Mr. Reynolds, by John Dicks, […], →OCLC, page 243, column 1:",
          "text": "It was a horrible smell of corrupt flesh and mouldy bones, mingling with the sickly steam of from cauldrons in which the anatomized animals were seething down. None save those who have been so unfortunate as to venture upon the confines of a knacker's yard, can possibly conceive the horrible nausea produced by these blended effluvia: it was enough to make the strongest stomach heave and become sick.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1855, John Timbs, “Markets”, in Curiosities of London: Exhibiting the Most Rare and Remarkable Objects of Interest in the Metropolis; […], London: David Bogue, […], →OCLC, page 500:",
          "text": "[T]he market [Smithfield Market] is surrounded by slaughter-houses and knackers' yards, tallow-melting, bone-boiling, tripe-washing, and other offensive trades; [...]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1955, The Sanitarian: The Official Journal of the Sanitary Inspectors’ Association, volume 63, London: Sanitary Inspectors’ Association, →OCLC, page 406:",
          "text": "The information given when the first animal was presented for slaughter was that lead paint had been consumed and that three other animals of the same herd had died and had been sent to a knackers yard.^([sic])",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Judith Flanders, “The World’s Market”, in The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Dunne Books, →ISBN, part 2 (Staying Alive), page 138:",
          "text": "In the 1820s, it was estimated that 400 horses a week were slaughtered via licensed horse-butchers (more commonly known as knackers' yards); by mid-century the number had risen to 1,000 horses weekly, and knackers' yards dotted the poorer districts – [...]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption or other purposes are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "area",
          "area"
        ],
        [
          "slaughterhouse",
          "slaughterhouse"
        ],
        [
          "carcass",
          "carcass"
        ],
        [
          "unfit",
          "unfit"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ],
        [
          "consumption",
          "consumption"
        ],
        [
          "purposes",
          "purpose#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "rendered",
          "render#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "produce",
          "produce#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "useful",
          "useful"
        ],
        [
          "materials",
          "material#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "glue",
          "glue#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "knackery"
        },
        {
          "word": "schindery"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I’ve never met someone so incompetent. He’s only fit for the knacker’s yard.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Planning: Journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute, London: Planning Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 1:",
          "text": "No-one would argue that the system is perfect. But as it nears pensionable age, only deranged free marketeers want to see it packed off to the knacker's yard.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Laurie McTaggart, “My Book of Life is Overdue at the Great Library in the Sky”, in Bell Street Blues: Poems, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Matador, →ISBN, page 86:",
          "text": "By then, of course, we and the book are in a sorry state, / scuffed and grubby and having been used / often for purposes not strictly intended, / from doorstop to lavatory-paper, / and ended up in a knacker's yard. / I'm in the knacker's yard. Have been for a while … / and, really, there are worse places to be.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A (notional) place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "notional",
          "notional"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "send",
          "send"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "object",
          "object#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "spent",
          "spent#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "reasonable",
          "reasonable"
        ],
        [
          "use",
          "use#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial, figuratively) A (notional) place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈnæk.əz ˌjɑːd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-uk-knacker's yard.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8a/En-uk-knacker%27s_yard.oga/En-uk-knacker%27s_yard.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/En-uk-knacker%27s_yard.oga"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈnæ.kɚz ˌjɑɹd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "kafilerie"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "équarrissoir"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Abdeckerei"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Kafillerei"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "note": "bakutil m (approximation; literally referring to feed manufacturing companies)",
      "sense": "area of slaughterhouse where carcasses are rendered down to produce useful materials"
    }
  ],
  "word": "knacker's yard"
}

Download raw JSONL data for knacker's yard meaning in English (7.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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