Do you class knackered as swearing?

[DisappointedD]

I have always thought of it as a mild swear word. A word I wouldn’t want my younger children using but wouldn’t be too bothered by a teen (but not to their grandparents) type word.

There is a current radio ad using the word which made me think about it earlier. I was surprised when I heard it and didn’t think it was a word I’d heard used in ad’s before.

Oh, I was told it was a pregnant goldfish 😂

Yes, I agree with this.

And so I was taught a child that it was, at least, vulgar. Not a word you'd use to your parent, teacher or vicar.

Fifty years on, it's power has obviously diminished.

I have never heard this in my life. Everyone I know uses knackered when they’re tired. In what way is it associated with travellers? Chav was always used to describe people. Knackered was always a feeling.

My DD mentioned it being a slur against travelling communities, which makes me even more surprised they have risked using it on radio.

If any bugger tells me ‘knackered’ is swearing, I’ll kick them in the Jacobs.

Hahaha, DH and I have this argument! I think it's not a swear word, he thinks it is. He's from the Midlands if that means anything. He has asked me not to say it in front of DD, so I don't just to be considerate, but yeah, I feel it just means tired.

Point being that “chav” is no longer acceptable, knackered came from knack yard, no longer acceptable.
I don’t make the rules.

But when someone starts a new slur word it takes time to be well known. So far about 85% of people on here associate it with the knackers yard and being tired. Unless it’s common knowledge something has become a slur then people will just carry on using it until they are made aware.

Where I come from it means the same as “shagged out”, so yes, it’s considered rude(ish).

Who does?

Down here in the sunny south, PIL are from Kent and reasonably plummy. Their word for extreme tiredness is 'shattered'. I too have heard that knackered has a further meaning of tired from having sex so I'd never say it to them - or anyone else without purpose.

Kids today are not the same. I heard an 'On the Beach' advert in the car with my teen DDs and was laughing about 'silly bookers, get to the back of the queue' and then it turned out they didn't know any difference between silly burgers and silly buggers ... (non-rhotic accent hitting hard) and then I had to explain about buggery ... typical car convo with teens really ...

No

Not even close! I grew up in the south and have lived in the north for 20 years and have never seen anybody bat an eyelid at its use. I suppose it might be considered rather base in hoity toity suburbs with the twitchiest of curtains but if so who cares. I couldn't care less if my kids used it either.

Absolutely not.

But why is the knack yard a slur against travellers these days? Are they being called it?

How bizarre. Do you only talk in the old Queen’s English or something? Knackered isn’t a swear word it’s not even close.

Not at all. Definitely not swearing and I would use it in any company.

I do not swear but I do occasionally say “I’m knackered”, when I dead beat tired.

Of course it means tired.

Of course it comes from "the knacker's yard."

Of course that doesn't mean it can't also mean "tired after sex", as many people on the thread have attested to.

Yes, my dad told me off for using it as a teenager because of this meaning! I'd only heard it being used to mean generally tired so was very surprised.

Definitely a very bad word in our house when I was a child/teen. Definitely not allowed to say it. My mum can be a real prude about random things which can upset her and I’ll never really understand why.

This word falls into that category because surely it’s not an actual swear word?!

It means being tired from sexual activity or that’s what I was told when explained not to use it!

Certainly by Scottish standards it’s not a swear word, another term for tired. Fucking knackered on the other hand..

Informal, not a swear word.

I think I've been told off for using it or picked up that it was rude in some way when I was younger, so I always say "cream crackered" if I'm in polite company.