Knocked up

Posted by ESC on September 25, 2005

In Reply to: Knocked up posted by Smokey Stover on September 23, 2005

: : : : "Knocked up". In Australia this phrase is not used as a euphemism for Pregnant. It is used in the sense of being out of breath usually after hard exercise such as a game of rugby or a solid workout in the gym. "Knock" is however used as a euphemism for a Nookie or sexual intercourse - straight or gay.
: : : "Knocked up" has been used in a similar sense in Britain since the mid-19th century, to mean not so much "out of breath" but "tired, jaded, worn out". You can be "knocked-up" by a long ordeal, or a bout of illness. (e.g. "You look a bit knocked-up; are you OK?")

: : More information in the archives: www.phrases.org.uk bulletin_board 13 messages 350.html

: I read, I think, every word in that long thread about knockers of just about every description. I did not notice any discussion of apple knockers. Not that they are relevant to the question here. They concern knocking down rather than knocking up. SS

OK. What is an apple knocker?

• Knocked up Smokey Stover 27/September/05