I know that the knackers in more recent times became the local glue factory (and responsible for other byproducts), mostly in relation to horses. Going further back, though, the knackermen were very territorial and they actually picked up dead animals in a strictly-defined geographical area. It could be a rich trade is you were in an area with lots of livestock or horses. However, towns and poorer communities often didn't have a lot to offer and knackermen servicing these areas were often very poor and knackered, manually picking up and hauling dead rodents, dogs and cats. So I wonder if it was a statement of the state of the animal or the state of the human picking up the animal? This may be lost to the mists of time.
Appestat The region of the hypothalamus of the brain which is believed to control a person's appetite for food.
Would you (or anyone else) happen to know (1) what sorts of animals knackermen worked with, (2) what parts of those animals they made use of, and (3) what products they made with them? I've looked over the Wikipedia page so I know about things like tallow and glue.
Sumptuary laws (from Latin sumptuāriae lēgēs) are laws that try to regulate consumption. Black's Law Dictionary defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furniture, etc." Historically, they were intended to regulate and reinforce social hierarchies and morals through restrictions on clothing, food, and luxury expenditures, often depending on a person's social rank. Societies have used sumptuary laws for a variety of purposes. They were used to try to regulate the balance of trade by limiting the market for expensive imported goods. They made it easy to identify social rank and privilege, and as such could be used for social discrimination. The laws often prevented commoners from imitating the appearance of aristocrats, and could be used to stigmatize disfavored groups. In Late medieval cities, sumptuary laws were instituted as a way for the nobility to limit the conspicuous consumption of the prosperous bourgeoisie. If bourgeois subjects appeared to be as wealthy as or wealthier than the ruling nobility, it could undermine the nobility's presentation of themselves as powerful, legitimate rulers. This could call into question their ability to control and defend their fief, and inspire traitors and rebels. Such laws continued to be used for these purposes well into the 17th century.
They pretty much cleared any dead animals that weren't butcher-grade meat. Even way back, farmers knew you didn't mix animals for slaughter and those that died from other causes. Dead animals of any description (domesticated or wild) released bad humours (smell and liquid) as they decayed. This was considered to be unhealthy so they were promptly removed by knackermen. The products that came out of these were myriad, everything from leather, bone objects (plastic utensils replace these in modern times), fertilizer, soap, tallow, lamp oil to glue.
"Knacker yard." Good term. I'll add it to the knackerman entry of my fantasy/historical vocabulary list.
KAKORRHAPHIOPHOBIA: Is an abnormal, persistent, irrational fear of failure. Don't try to pronounce this word if you fear getting it wrong
It's not the first time I used it in a poem or story, but I really enjoy it. There's just a lot of different types of cold and I want to use those words we didn't know we had to describe it. You're welcome!
Escutcheon noun a shield or emblem bearing a coat of arms. a flat piece of metal for protection and often ornamentation, around a keyhole, door handle, or light switch.
kakistocracy noun "A government by the worst people in the state." Offered without editorial comment. But you what I'm thinking. From The New York Times Everyday Readers Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, Mispronounced Words, Quadrangle Books (1972). A book I inherited many years ago from a semi-retired federal district judge for whom I clerked.
Two words from today's reading. Pelisse noun HISTORICAL a woman's cloak with armholes or sleeves, reaching to the ankles. a fur-lined cloak, especially as part of a hussar's uniform. & Exigency noun plural noun: exigencies an urgent need or demand. "women worked long hours when the exigencies of the family economy demanded it"
Lavabo noun a device used to provide water for the washing of hands. It consists normally of an ewer (vase-shaped pitcher) or container of some kind to pour water, and a bowl to catch the water as it falls off the hands. Virago noun a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman. "the campaigns of these indignant viragoes will come to naught" • ARCHAIC a woman of masculine strength or spirit; a female warrior.
crotchet (noun) /ˈkräCHət/ a perverse or unfounded belief or notion. "the natural crotchets of inveterate bachelors" That's perfect in its abrasiveness. It means exactly what I hoped it would. I guess it's also another name for a quarter note, but let's stick to the useful one. I found this while researching times when you would put commas within a compound predicate. It's almost always wrong. Almost. The reader was asking the editor if the rule was actually a "crotchet." The editor's reply was that the comma shouldn't have been there, which didn't help me much. I found a better page with counterexamples. There's always an exception, and I want to know the why of the exceptions.