knaker

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Pronunciations

k’nocker (kuh-NOCK-er)

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Definitions

  • n. A showoff, big shot.

  • n. A wise guy, know-it-all.

Example Sentences

  • "I used to mark the bechinos in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s class for a couple of years – Rabbi Soloveitchik asked me to – and [I remember one test on which] one guy got an 8 and seven guys got 100. The guy who got the 8 – a big k’nocker – tells me what Rabbi Soloveitchik said. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about." (source)

  • "Two Jewish k’nockers, approaching Honolulu, got into an argument about the correct pronunciation of Hawaii: one was sure it was 'Hawaii,' the other positive it was 'Havaii.' They made a bet. When they got off the plane, they hurried over to the first native they saw and said, 'Aloha! How do you pronounce the name of this island: Hawaii or Havaii?' 'Havaii,' said the native. 'Thank you.' 'You’re velcome,' said the native.' (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • קנאַקער knaker

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      knocker, k'nacker, knacker, knokker, k'nokker, knakker, k'nakker, k'naker, k'nocker, knoker, k'noker

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