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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2014-03-29 10:15:33

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2851

knockered << knackered

“Knacker” is a Briticism, but the verb has found a second home in NA. It generally occurs in the past participle, as an adjective. “I’m knackered” means that I’m tired out, weary.

The web has a large number of pages on which “knockered” is substituted for “knackered.” Such as these:

Photo caption: “i never liked running but hey i tried. SUCCESS! ahahaha i swear, no cheat. God I’m knockered. ”

In thread on soccer: “I have to finsih now. It’s been a long, hard day. I’m knockered and hungry. ...and THE match is on”

Blog comment: “I do read blogs when I’m knockered sometimes. Does that count?”

Seems like this switch may be an eggcorn. Someone knocked down or knocked about is going to feel knackered.

An infrequently used meaning of “knock up” also means, like knackered, to become tired/worn out, so it is possible that “knockered” is a bit of a blend. This meaning of “knock up” is so rare, though, that it is unlikely to be influencing the substitution.

I see a number of examples of “knockered up” where the person means “knocked up,” in the sense of being made pregnant. This also might have a whiff of eggcorn about it – pregnancy and tiredness are often linked.


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

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#2 2014-03-31 02:51:23

Dixon Wragg
Eggcornista
From: Cotati, California
Registered: 2008-07-04
Posts: 1375

Re: knockered << knackered

kem wrote:

I see a number of examples of “knockered up” where the person means “knocked up,” in the sense of being made pregnant. This also might have a whiff of eggcorn about it – pregnancy and tiredness are often linked.

Kem, I see another possible eggcornish meaning connection. “Knockers” is slang for tits, so “knockered up” may refer to something that happens to someone while she is supine (i.e., with her tits pointing upward) especially if she’s naked (because the tits would be more noticeable then). And, “knockered up” could trigger an association (however unconscious) with the common slang phrase “tits-up”, which sometimes means having fallen down or even being dead, but more generally refers to being supine. Getting knocked up is one possible outcome of being “knockers up”, so the connection of “knockered up” with pregnancy seems plausible.

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