Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

knocker-upper

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.35 in modern English

Syllables: knock-er-up-per
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Alternative form of knocker-up (person who knocks to awaken in the morning).

noun

.

noun

The male who has sired a pregnancy.

Humorous; Informal

Example Sentences

"In 1876, a knocker-upper on rounds in Bradford spotted a 2 a.m. house fire and saved a sleeping family."
"What, Shelley is pregnant?! Who's the knocker-upper? [ = Who's the father?]"

Etymology

By a regular pattern for (informal) nouns seen also in similar forms, such as fixer-upper and cleaner-upper; the sire sense involves an extra degree of wordplay, as an alternative surface analysis of knock (h)er up + -er is playfully apparent (who knocked 'er up?).

Usage

Inflected Forms

knocker-uppers (plural)

Synonyms

sire father dad daddy baby daddy

Questions

What does knocker-upper mean?: Alternative form of knocker-up (person who knocks to awaken in the morning).
Where does knocker-upper come from?: By a regular pattern for (informal) nouns seen also in similar forms, such as fixer-upper and cleaner-upper; the sire sense involves an extra degree of wordplay, as an alternative surface analysis of knock (h)er up + -er is playfully apparent (who knocked 'er up?).

How to pronounce knocker-upper

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