knacker's yard

noun
/ˈnæk.əz ˌjɑːd/UK/ˈnæ.kɚz ˌjɑɹd/US

Etymology

From knacker (“one who slaughters and (especially) renders worn-out livestock (especially horses) and sells their flesh, bones and hides”) + -'s + yard.

Definitions

  1. The area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption or other…

    The area of a slaughterhouse where carcasses unfit for human consumption or other purposes are rendered down to produce useful materials such as glue.

    • [T]he market [Smithfield Market] is surrounded by slaughter-houses and knackers' yards, tallow-melting, bone-boiling, tripe-washing, and other offensive trades; [...]
  2. A (notional) place to send a person or object that is spent beyond all reasonable use.

    • I’ve never met someone so incompetent. He’s only fit for the knacker’s yard.
    • 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.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for knacker's yard. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA