clanker

== English == === Etymology === From clank +‎ -er, onomatopoeic. The sense meaning "robot" appears in science fiction at least as early as 1958. Its broader popular use increased on social media beginning around 2024, due to the AI boom. In this wave of usage, it was especially influenced by the word's appearance in the Star Wars franchise, particularly the 2005 video game Star Wars: Republic Commando. In Star Wars, the term was used towards B1-series battle droids, which were humanoid robots that were manufactured for the sole purpose of fighting in armed conflicts. Their nickname of "clanker" stems from the fact that they would frequently make clanking noises any time they moved around due to being cheaply mass-produced. === Pronunciation === (non-rhotic) (Received Pronunciation, Australian) IPA(key): /ˈklæŋkə/, [ˈkʰl̥æŋkə] (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /ˈklaŋkə/ (rhotic) (General American) (without æ-raising) IPA(key): /ˈklæŋkɚ/, [ˈkʰl̥æŋkɚ] (æ-raising) IPA(key): /ˈkleɪ̯ŋkɚ/, [kʰl̥eɪ̯ŋkɚ]; [kʰl̥ɛ̃ŋkɚ] Rhymes: -æŋkə(ɹ) Hyphenation: clan‧ker === Noun === clanker (plural clankers) Something that makes a clanking noise. (Internet slang, derogatory, humorous, originally science fiction) A robot or artificial intelligence. Alternative form: clanka Synonyms: cogsucker, rust monkey, tinskin, wireback (This is a hot sense, kept provisionally) (Internet slang, by extension) A person who uses automated technology or generative AI. Education is getting overtaken by clankers. (slang) A fib. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lie ==== Usage notes ==== (derogatory: robot): Usage by many Internet users has clear parallels with racism, such as quips about clanka or clanker with a hard r and synonyms such as wireback derived from wetback. ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === “clanker n. (gross, deliberate lie)”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. [Francis Grose] (1785), “Clanker”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, London: […] S. Hooper, […], →OCLC. === Anagrams === Lackner, crankle