“Knackler” – (Noun) A person capable of mending anything with anything.
I just heard the term this week on an English TV show we watch, and I am happy to think of myself as a ‘Knackler’. ‘Knackler’, a fixer, a tinker, someone who fixes stuff using available materials. . . yes please. I accept the title!
Back to the TV show though. I find we watch English TV shows much more than American TV shows. (We are American, in fact we are so American that we live less than a 3 hour drive to the ‘Geographic Center of the 48 States”. Talk about being ‘stuck in the middle’.) There are two things about English television that I find notable. The quality is better and the attitude of the people involved.
If you get a chance, check out ‘Ghosts’. It is a sitcom, and the premise is a young couple inherits a large haunted house, and the wife can see and communicate with the ghosts. The English version is the original, and an American version was made, with a very similar script. The English version is creative, the characters are well done and the show is very entertaining. The American version is flat, feels scripted and bland. Hmmm. It’s like the flavor has been squeezed out of it. I’m not sure how to put it, but we find that on a lot of the American shows.
The Attitude is the thing I notice more. I really enjoy the English competition shows. The part I find refreshing is the competitors rarely do anything to sabotage their compotation. They do their bit, they try hard and the cheer their competition when they succeed. (Check out ‘Taskmaster’, it is a great example) It might be an American thing, this ‘win at all cost’ attitude. Maybe this is why I tuned out of Survivor; I don’t like plotting and scheming. I don’t like giving roadblocks. I just like to see people try hard, and do well.
Now that I think about it, I used to participate in ‘fun runs’. I spent years enjoying this activity. (my knees on the other hand have told me they no longer wish to participate in these events.) My family was very tolerant, often showing up to cheer me on. It was obvious that I was never going to win one of these, as were 99% of the other participants. For most of us it was simply the participation; actually being part of the event. That is what I enjoy. Participation, being part of the event, the ‘doing’ is more important than the ‘winning’. Life is about more thang winning and losing. Just jumping in and giving it a go is what I find really important. Maybe that is what being a ‘knackler’ is all about.
WORD THOUGHTS: Knackler | LinkedIn
WORD THOUGHTS: Knackler, David Tickner
Definition of Knackler (definition-of.com)
Found in Yorkshire, England, and said as a complement.
Usage: He’s a canny knackler is our dad. He can men owt wi’ nowt!
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The Repair Shop – Season 5, Episode 19 ‘Piggy Bank, Knackler Gramophone, Prussian Helmet’