Knacker yard?

[slats7]

This term was mentioned in reference to Grainger's forced retirement. Does it mean "glue factory for horses" over there?

[Lucas The Tucas]

Yep !

Lucas

[Very Young Mr Grace]

I too have wondered what the term means.

[Mr. Harmon]

Basicly yes. I had to look this one up a couple of years ago myself.

It's rather like a modern "Rag and Bone Man". The dead animals are processed for their hides, bones and blood are made into fertilizer, fats rendered down for tallow etc.

See http://knackerman.com/

This "Re-processing" of downer animals is one of the things that is believed to have lead to Mad-Cow disease.

[frankdicer]

I grew up in North Western Kansas (NW KS) in the 60's and 70's and our version of the
knackers yard was called "the rendering plant".
There was one particular one that serviced most of NW KS, its name was
"Ellis Rendering" and they sent trucks all over the NW KS to pick up
dead animals. The slogan on the trucks was "the used cow dealer".
Whenever they drove by you'd have to hold your nose from the
stench. I can still see the Ellis Rendering truck parked by the side of the
road, the driver sitting in the drivers seat, eating his lunch,
with cow legs sticking up out of the top of the back of the vehicle....I remember thinking,
"How could anyone eat in that truck with that smell".

I remember being a little bit shocked at the cavalier way that AYBS? used
knackered. Maybe its just me.

[Tiddles]

I am of English descent and my best pal is from Dublin. The expression "I am just knackered!" means you're exhausted. It's pretty much commonplace. As for that guy eating his lunch with the cows....it's like cops and morticians. They can eat around dead (animals/people) too. Doesn't phase them. You get used to the smells and such. That's why we're all cut out to do jobs other people just can't. And it's a good thing because these jobs could never be done otherwise! I could never do a job that had a bad smell attached to it! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/obm.gif