Kleptomania. The name given to an impulsive desire to steal or appropriate that which is ready to hand; so called from the Greek kleptes, thief, and mania, madness.
Knacker. From the Icelandic knakkr, a saddle; hence a dealer in and slaughterer of old horses.
Knapsack. From the Dutch and German knappen, to bite or chew, and zak, a sack. Like the original German and Dutch forms of this receptacle for a soldier’s necessaries on the march, the Swiss still carry a bag made of goatskin.
Knave. From the German knabe, a boy. The tricks peculiar to a boy no doubt caused this term to be applied to a deceitful or otherwise reprehensible fellow. The knave in a pack of cards represents, of course, the knight or servant to the king and queen.
Knife-board. The advertisement-board on either side of an omnibus roof, so called on account of its fancied resemblance to the domestic knife-sharpener. On the old-fashioned omnibuses the roof passengers sat back to back, with their feet touching the “knife-board,” and it was facetiously said they thereon sharpened their wits.
Knife and Fork Tea. See “[High Tea].”
Knight. From the Saxon knicht, a servant, which is the origin also of the modern German knecht, a man-servant.
Knight Bachelor. One who in the days of chivalry forswore marriage until he had performed some feat of valour, and so merited renown.
Knight Banneret. A knight hastily created on the field of battle in recognition of signal bravery. This was done by tearing off a streamer from a banner and handing it to him as a token of investiture.
Knight Errant. One who went forth in quest of adventures, more particularly to win the admiration of fair ladies, by rescuing them, in common with the weak and oppressed, from the feudal lords whose rapacity in those barbarous ages knew no bounds. The word errant, like its modern equivalent errand, was derived from the Latin errare, to wander. It was in ridicule of this system of knight-errantry that Cervantes wrote his immortal romance “Don Quixote.”