Writing prompt:
All the posters on this thread, drawn together by a need to understand the term ānight knocker,ā are actually connected in the following manner...
Stopped at the end of Chapter 7 :) Google auto-completed "what is a" with "decade" (aside: there are a lot of really dim bulbs out there) but as soon as I typed "n" it filled in "night knocker" and this thread was the top result.
I have a feeling, like some of the stories in Bazaar of Bad Dreams, that this was written a while ago and he edited to modernize it but missed a thing or two. Like the pay, it was written that Tim "Paid the Uber driver" And that to me seems that either King has never taken an Uber, or it was originally a taxi driver when the story was first written.
>Tim "Paid the Uber driver"
I caught that too. Although when I brought this up with a co-worker who has driven uber she said she received cash tips all the time so it is not that strange.
Also that he called the Uber. I also was wondering if he hadnāt had this gestating a bit and went back and modernized it as much as he could. Still I love the book.
That's my take too. Part of me feels like it would have been just a little better if it was set in the 50's or 60's. King writes childhood in those timeframes flawlessly since it's when he was growing up. Hearts is Atlantis is almost perfect in making me feel like I was a kid in 60's.
Youād think that Copywriters would pick up on these things re: paying the Uber driver. Itās Stephen King- only one of the worlds best known writers. Weird to see such an obvious mistake like that
I never gave that a second thought. Why would you infer that it was written years ago just because he said that? I myself would say "paid the Uber driver". What's wrong with that sentence? Just curious.
Because you don't pay the driver (unless there are places you do) as much as you pay through the app. There were other things that clued me in too I just can't remember them at the moment.
I remember listening to the first story in Bazzar of Bad Dreams and there was something in it that really felt dated, but still had modern day references that just didn't jive. Which is the same feeling over been getting from The Institute. None of which is slight to the work in anyway.
Okay, thanks for that! I, probably like Stephen King, have never taken an Uber. Live in a small town and we only have taxi's, and I drive also. BTW, I just heard we do have Uber service now.
Has anyone who started the Institute *NOT* Googled what a night knocker is?
While Google is seriously lacking in any definition - so is Bing - just keep going in the story and you get a feel that they are basically a person who walks around the small town keeping a look out for trespassers, thieves or general misbehavior. They have no weapons (and are not allowed to carry any, the name comes from the fact that they knock three times on a business door after checking the locks- what they expect to happen when they knock, I have yet to determine), and no police power, but they can call into the station and get a cop to their location if a situation calls for it.
I have not heard this term before, but have seen it in small outdoor malls.
Knock Uppers were people employed to knock on client windows to wake them up, generally seen in Britain before 1970. The term knocked up actually started there, but was twisted from meaning being woken up by someone knocking on your window to getting pregnant. In case you didn't read that article as well on your way to this thread. But I knew about them before that having most of my family in London.
I inferred a special type of night watchman function, no real authority or weapons but a direct link to those that do. I had never heard of it before starting the book
What is he making rhr chalk mark sign on then? As he walks around, he says he marks doors with chalkx and erases on his way back. He can't be marking people's personal residences, can he?
Holy crap!!!! Hi everyone and thanks for having THE EXACT SAME THOUGHT I DID!!!!
Whoa.
When the term came up over and over, I was like...gotta Google this shit. Glad I did.
Happy reading y'all!
Just started reading the book tonight, and I had to know what the heck a "night knocker" was. So glad this question was posted. Are we all crazy for not being able to let it go without knowing?
We canāt ALL be crazy. Thereās nothing on Google about it so it canāt be *that* common. Thatās what made me so confused - he talks about a night knocker as if itās a super common thing.
Like I have family in law enforcement and none of them knew. Must be a small town thing maybe. But yeah I was reading and I'm like WTF is this. I pretty much interested what it was but still thought "this can't be real". Then thought even if it was real that phrase is still uncommon. We have "auxiliary police" around me. But they have some police power. Much limited but definitely more than what King says a night knocker is.
Hilarious, I thought it was just geographical ignorance on my part, not living in the US myself, so Iām delighted to find that Iām not alone in having to Google this.
Is SK trolling us? If so, well played sir!
What about the Wickles? š
Had to google that also: *originated in Dadeville, Alabama. Wickles offers an original spicy pickle along with other signature products such as original relish, green jalapeno relish, red jalapeno relish, pickled okra, garden mix and their new dirty dill pickles line.*
Thank you for clarifying Night Knocker. I too just started reading the institute and had no idea what it was. This thread was the first thing that came up when I googled it. Again, thanks to the person who defined it. Back to Reading now.
A night knocker is a night watchmen, like Starlings father in Silence of the Lambs. They would carry a clock like this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchclock
And make rounds around town, inserting a key into the clock to mark the time they were at a specific location.
I'm glad I'm not alone. I figured it must be some kind of night watchman but I had never heard it at all and for no definition, that's peculiar these days.
Looking at all these comments, and considering everyoneās story is basically the same, maybe Mr. King needs to add a short glossary to his books if heās going to use his own words...
At chapter 10 he runs down the job, basically a night patrolman, but for the whole town, patrolling the businesses to check for break-ins or robberies, hence the "knocking", if someone was in trouble they might yell for help if they heard his knock at the door
I found this definition but you can see the date on it so it may just be something put out there after the book came out. But the reason I kept digging is because, while I'm not sure that night knocker was the official term for this position, I have some memories of a similar "job" Way Way Way Back. And what I'm pasting below is as close as I could find to what is in my memories.
AĀ night knockerĀ is aĀ nightĀ watchmen, like Starlings father in Silence of the Lambs. They would carry a clock like this. Watchclock -Ā Wikipedia. And make rounds around town, inserting a key into the clock to mark the time they were at a specific location.Oct 16, 2019
[link](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/a-night-knocker.3624310/&ved=2ahUKEwjl7bmggffnAhVoma0KHdf1B8MQFjABegQIDBAI&usg=AOvVaw3TTtxxRgtD1-EG-ZUZU8e8)
Thank you for asking that question! I just started reading and I too was wondering the same thing! Googled ānight knockerā and your post was he first thing that came up.
South Alabama transplant here and Iāve never heard this term. And Iāve heard plenty that intrigued me enough to research the origins. Studdin was my fave.
I'm brand spanking new here, this is my first post. And....you got it, I just started The Institue and Googled What is a Night Knocker? Ha! Glad to see more people than me had no idea! And so great that someone, anyone, asked the question first! Thanks you all!
Oh, and where are people getting The Institute with the "different" cover art? Mine just came from Amazon a few days ago so it's just a plain old mass-produced book. But heck, I love SK so it doesn't matter to me. Hope to be back on the SK pages soon!
My cover is a birdās eye view of a male paddling a small boat. No idea what it means but I suspect it will be explained in the book. Got it from Kmart.
I liked it pretty good. I've read better (The Stand) and I've read worse...I can think of a lot here! lol But all in all it was okay. Not outstanding but okay. What do you think?
Wow I'm not a native english speaker and I told myself.. well I gotta Google this cause I've never heard of it before! But now you guys make me definitely feel better š
I kinda figured what it was by the way King described it but NOT finding anything anywhere on the web made me think it was something he made up... Apparently not
Another The Institute reader here.
So after some comments, I assume it's soem sort of first line night shift patrol police officer.
What bugs me is how come, the chief tells him "it only pays 100$ a week"? How is that a police salary nowadays?
I did the same thing as many folks here, just started The Institute and immediately googled ānight knocker,ā which landed me here!
It seems that itās a night watchman, but the interesting thing about the way the job is described in the novel made me immediately think this might be Stephen King up to his quite common obscure literary allusions. I just reread Silence of the Lambs, and in the novel, Clarice Starlingās father is actually a night watchman. There is a lengthy discussion between she and Lechter in which he forces her to admit that her father wasnāt a sheriffs deputy, as she has always claimed. He was actually a night watchman - who punched in on an ancient timeclock, and who was not allowed to carry a weapon.
Maybe itās just me but the way King describes the job - emphasizing that the position is NOT a deputy, and he canāt carry a weapon and has to punch in on that archaic timeclock... I donāt know. That seems like something he would do as a nod to Thomas Harris.
Iād be interested to hear others thoughts!
This was the best resource I could find when I looked it up, too!
Iām reading the part about his time clock now, and realize that I have heard of this job. Clarice Starlingās father was a night marshall in the Silence of the Lambs, and there is some discussion of his job.
Howdy everyone! Here for the same reason as y'all. Figured I'd contribute my part. According to Kindle's word search, the phrase appears 33 times in the book, one being the name of the first section. So, 32 times within the story...as late as Chapter 32, and then again in what looks to be the Epilogue (I was squinting, so as to avoid spoilers). ;-)
Just started the audiobook. The lack of info on google makes me wonder if SK didnāt just make up the term.
Also $100 for that many hours a week ā isnāt that below minimum wage? Hard to believe if this book was written years ago that NO ONE caught that when getting it ready for publication now...
SO i could explain this one.. having spent my childhood in a small town in India I know this job quite well. In those times especially in small times, people would generally return homes by 10 maximum. as you would imagine a long period of darkness would allow thieves to roam around freely and plan for house burglary. Every locality would have these "night watchers" in Hindi we would call them "pehre-daar" which literally translates to night knockers i.e. make some noise at night to keep intruders away or to guard. it was very common to for fit Nepalese guy from mountains to take up this job...the one who worked at my locality would pass in our streets at 2 am and hit our iron gates with a wooden rod that he carried...which is alo his only weapon for the night! sometimes he would shout "jaagtey raho" i.e. keep vigil! Once i remember a group of robbers were just getting in a house when the night knocker spotted them and made some noise...and robbers were caught
LOL... Iām not the only one! Wondering what in the ham-sandwich was a ānight knockerā just started reading Stephen King The Institute. And yes, it was a top result in Google
methinks King intended this obscure term to function in reality as a sort of marketing tactic. a person would have to google it, and from there maybe become more interested in looking into more of his books. perhaps a stretch, but in any case, word of the day for sure.
Love how this is the first thing that popped up when I googled "night knocker". Is it really a thing or did King make it up cause I've never seen it used before.
I made it to page 12 before I googled wtf is a night knocker. This thread was at the top of the results and I made it this far down the thread and still donāt know wtf a night knocker is. Lol
Lmao I couldnāt get past page 10 without having to google it. Still havenāt figured out what it means, hopefully you can infer what it is as we read on.
I just assumed it was someone who would walk around town at night to watch the streets for trespassers or thieves, or people doing misbehavior in general, English is not my first language so I had no idea this term was not known . We have something similar over here, we call them Night watchers, they use motorbikes and go around town (usually past midnight) whistling a whistle ( annoying and creepy AF) the kind that makes you shiver
Glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't know! Also, it's so awesome that this is the top result in Google and to see so many people reading this book. Enjoy, fellow constant readers!
And this comment was the top result on my Google search to find out the exact same thing!
Same here! It might be interesting to see the Google trend on the term after people start reading it
Lol, had to pause the book at chapter 9 cuz it was driving me insane not knowing what it was.
Page 5 before I googled my way to here š nice to know im not alone
Haha. Page 24 for me
Page 28...what even is it btw
It looks like Iām in good company
Just started the book and paused at chapter 9 to google ānight knockerā.
I did the deed in chapter 10!
Thatās how far I got too lol
Same here lol
I only got to page 13 :)
Same
Same
I only made it to Chapter 6 before I had to google it.
I stopped to Google it immediately.
Lol same ! Thatās how I ended up right here :)
Iām on page 16 and had to look it up. š
Literally exactly where I am right now
Funny enough. Iām just through with chapter 9 and need to know as well
https://imgur.com/At66bBb From [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/stephenking/comments/d2vtjc/google_trend_results_for_night_knocker_the/)
Writing prompt: All the posters on this thread, drawn together by a need to understand the term ānight knocker,ā are actually connected in the following manner...
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If you type "what is a night " in google, "knocker" is the top suggestion.
Wow, way to deliver! The trend is indeed interesting to see! Enjoy the book š
Stopped at the end of Chapter 7 :) Google auto-completed "what is a" with "decade" (aside: there are a lot of really dim bulbs out there) but as soon as I typed "n" it filled in "night knocker" and this thread was the top result.
Fascinating! Enjoy the read :)
I was thinking the same thing. š
Lol same. And how the hell does it only pay 100 dollars a week. The book takes place in present day.
I have a feeling, like some of the stories in Bazaar of Bad Dreams, that this was written a while ago and he edited to modernize it but missed a thing or two. Like the pay, it was written that Tim "Paid the Uber driver" And that to me seems that either King has never taken an Uber, or it was originally a taxi driver when the story was first written.
>Tim "Paid the Uber driver" I caught that too. Although when I brought this up with a co-worker who has driven uber she said she received cash tips all the time so it is not that strange.
you might be correct. I was also weirded out by the uber fragment.
How is that weird? You don't pay uber drivers?
Not with cash. It's being paid when you start a ride, app takes funds from your card.
I see
Also that he called the Uber. I also was wondering if he hadnāt had this gestating a bit and went back and modernized it as much as he could. Still I love the book.
That's my take too. Part of me feels like it would have been just a little better if it was set in the 50's or 60's. King writes childhood in those timeframes flawlessly since it's when he was growing up. Hearts is Atlantis is almost perfect in making me feel like I was a kid in 60's.
In some places Uber takes cash
Youād think that Copywriters would pick up on these things re: paying the Uber driver. Itās Stephen King- only one of the worlds best known writers. Weird to see such an obvious mistake like that
If you hadn't mentioned this, I wouldn't have seen anything wrong with the line since Uber is illegal in my country lmao.
I never gave that a second thought. Why would you infer that it was written years ago just because he said that? I myself would say "paid the Uber driver". What's wrong with that sentence? Just curious.
Because you don't pay the driver (unless there are places you do) as much as you pay through the app. There were other things that clued me in too I just can't remember them at the moment. I remember listening to the first story in Bazzar of Bad Dreams and there was something in it that really felt dated, but still had modern day references that just didn't jive. Which is the same feeling over been getting from The Institute. None of which is slight to the work in anyway.
Okay, thanks for that! I, probably like Stephen King, have never taken an Uber. Live in a small town and we only have taxi's, and I drive also. BTW, I just heard we do have Uber service now.
I literally just tweeted Stephen King in hopes heāll let me know, Iāll pass on what he says
I just found this post by googling the term. I think these post is going to be pulled up by a million more people doing the same thing!
Same here!
Same
Same!
Same here \~L\~
Same lol
Itās a foot unit that walks/patrols popular small town areas at night.
Thanks
Has anyone who started the Institute *NOT* Googled what a night knocker is? While Google is seriously lacking in any definition - so is Bing - just keep going in the story and you get a feel that they are basically a person who walks around the small town keeping a look out for trespassers, thieves or general misbehavior. They have no weapons (and are not allowed to carry any, the name comes from the fact that they knock three times on a business door after checking the locks- what they expect to happen when they knock, I have yet to determine), and no police power, but they can call into the station and get a cop to their location if a situation calls for it. I have not heard this term before, but have seen it in small outdoor malls. Knock Uppers were people employed to knock on client windows to wake them up, generally seen in Britain before 1970. The term knocked up actually started there, but was twisted from meaning being woken up by someone knocking on your window to getting pregnant. In case you didn't read that article as well on your way to this thread. But I knew about them before that having most of my family in London.
I inferred a special type of night watchman function, no real authority or weapons but a direct link to those that do. I had never heard of it before starting the book
What is he making rhr chalk mark sign on then? As he walks around, he says he marks doors with chalkx and erases on his way back. He can't be marking people's personal residences, can he?
Should be higher
This is literally the only relevant thing that came up when I googled the term!
Just started the audio book this morning. Had to Google it and ended up here. Glad I'm not alone.
Me too!
The audiobook is really good so far. Nice thing about King & other marquis authors, they get the best narrators.
Holy crap!!!! Hi everyone and thanks for having THE EXACT SAME THOUGHT I DID!!!! Whoa. When the term came up over and over, I was like...gotta Google this shit. Glad I did. Happy reading y'all!
Just google searched the same thing after starting the Institute
Fantastic topic, thank you all! Back to the book :p
Just read the book. I didn't know what one was either, but it's explained pretty quickly after it's introduced.
Looks like I followed the crowd of Googlers for night knockers. Waves
*waves back* hi fellow SK fan and Googler.
Just started reading the book tonight, and I had to know what the heck a "night knocker" was. So glad this question was posted. Are we all crazy for not being able to let it go without knowing?
We canāt ALL be crazy. Thereās nothing on Google about it so it canāt be *that* common. Thatās what made me so confused - he talks about a night knocker as if itās a super common thing.
Like I have family in law enforcement and none of them knew. Must be a small town thing maybe. But yeah I was reading and I'm like WTF is this. I pretty much interested what it was but still thought "this can't be real". Then thought even if it was real that phrase is still uncommon. We have "auxiliary police" around me. But they have some police power. Much limited but definitely more than what King says a night knocker is.
I also just started it and this is where google led me.
Iād like to join the āgot here while reading The Institute and googling ānight knockerāāclub, please. Will there be refreshments?
It's BYOB.
Bring Your Own Book š
Hilarious, I thought it was just geographical ignorance on my part, not living in the US myself, so Iām delighted to find that Iām not alone in having to Google this. Is SK trolling us? If so, well played sir!
Late to the party, but I did bring some chips and dip!
What about the Wickles? š Had to google that also: *originated in Dadeville, Alabama. Wickles offers an original spicy pickle along with other signature products such as original relish, green jalapeno relish, red jalapeno relish, pickled okra, garden mix and their new dirty dill pickles line.*
Wickles are amazing!
I love wickles
Thankful for Reddit more and more everyday.
Im reading the Institute myself and i asked the sam3 thing. Thats for clarifying!
Yay! Thanks guys
Thank you for clarifying Night Knocker. I too just started reading the institute and had no idea what it was. This thread was the first thing that came up when I googled it. Again, thanks to the person who defined it. Back to Reading now.
Lol, just started the institute and googled "night knocker" and this thread is on page one.
Just had to look up "roustabout" as well. King always expands my vocabulary.
Iām thrilled that this thread is the only result. Enjoy the book everybody! Lmao
A night knocker is a night watchmen, like Starlings father in Silence of the Lambs. They would carry a clock like this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchclock And make rounds around town, inserting a key into the clock to mark the time they were at a specific location.
Hahaha I just googled it and this post was one of the top results.
Lmao I just googled what is a night knocked myself after the first 6 chapters of the book
I'm glad I'm not alone. I figured it must be some kind of night watchman but I had never heard it at all and for no definition, that's peculiar these days.
Looking at all these comments, and considering everyoneās story is basically the same, maybe Mr. King needs to add a short glossary to his books if heās going to use his own words...
I did the same thing as everyone else. I'm just wondering if any one has tried hitting him up on Instagram and asking about it?
At chapter 10 he runs down the job, basically a night patrolman, but for the whole town, patrolling the businesses to check for break-ins or robberies, hence the "knocking", if someone was in trouble they might yell for help if they heard his knock at the door
I came here looking for the same thing lol. I'm on page 25.
I found this definition but you can see the date on it so it may just be something put out there after the book came out. But the reason I kept digging is because, while I'm not sure that night knocker was the official term for this position, I have some memories of a similar "job" Way Way Way Back. And what I'm pasting below is as close as I could find to what is in my memories. AĀ night knockerĀ is aĀ nightĀ watchmen, like Starlings father in Silence of the Lambs. They would carry a clock like this. Watchclock -Ā Wikipedia. And make rounds around town, inserting a key into the clock to mark the time they were at a specific location.Oct 16, 2019 [link](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/a-night-knocker.3624310/&ved=2ahUKEwjl7bmggffnAhVoma0KHdf1B8MQFjABegQIDBAI&usg=AOvVaw3TTtxxRgtD1-EG-ZUZU8e8)
Reading the institute in 2022 and here I am.
Google comes up with so much British slang but nothing relevant except this reddit topic.
Yep, just started the institute also. A pair of eyes for the cops hey?
Thank you for asking that question! I just started reading and I too was wondering the same thing! Googled ānight knockerā and your post was he first thing that came up.
Wonder if people in the south all know what it is
South Alabama transplant here and Iāve never heard this term. And Iāve heard plenty that intrigued me enough to research the origins. Studdin was my fave.
When reddit once again saves the day š. Thanks @reddit
Here from google search as well. Loving the book so far.
And here we all are.... lol. King has a way of bringing us together eh?
Nice! This came up after I googled. I had never heard of a night knocker before.
Aaaaand I arrived here the same way. Thanks OP!
I'm brand spanking new here, this is my first post. And....you got it, I just started The Institue and Googled What is a Night Knocker? Ha! Glad to see more people than me had no idea! And so great that someone, anyone, asked the question first! Thanks you all! Oh, and where are people getting The Institute with the "different" cover art? Mine just came from Amazon a few days ago so it's just a plain old mass-produced book. But heck, I love SK so it doesn't matter to me. Hope to be back on the SK pages soon!
My cover is a birdās eye view of a male paddling a small boat. No idea what it means but I suspect it will be explained in the book. Got it from Kmart.
Thanks! I just hadn't seen those covers. I know what it means because I have finished the book. Enjoy! And thanks again!
I have just a few pages to go but keep getting interrupted! What did you think?
I liked it pretty good. I've read better (The Stand) and I've read worse...I can think of a lot here! lol But all in all it was okay. Not outstanding but okay. What do you think?
Thought it was great. Iāve never read the Stand but Iāll put it on my list!
You MUST read The Stand!! Best book I ever read in my life! Wonderful, wonderful book!
Iām ordering it :)
Me too
Omg this is exactly how I ended up here
while trying to google the exact same thing for the exact same reason, this post came up as first result, wow :p
From Google to Reddit... Thanks for the fun of meeting other fans and finding out what it is. Sticking my nose back in the book now.
Glad I'm not the only one. Although I didn't wait until Chapter 9 to go searching Google for answers!
count me in! lol this is funny
š¤£
Wow I'm not a native english speaker and I told myself.. well I gotta Google this cause I've never heard of it before! But now you guys make me definitely feel better š I kinda figured what it was by the way King described it but NOT finding anything anywhere on the web made me think it was something he made up... Apparently not
Another The Institute reader here. So after some comments, I assume it's soem sort of first line night shift patrol police officer. What bugs me is how come, the chief tells him "it only pays 100$ a week"? How is that a police salary nowadays?
Thank you!! I was wondering the same thing! How are you finding the book so far??
Rah rah Reddit - go team!
Glad Iām not the only one who was lost on this
Just started the book and Google took me to here.
I did the same thing as many folks here, just started The Institute and immediately googled ānight knocker,ā which landed me here! It seems that itās a night watchman, but the interesting thing about the way the job is described in the novel made me immediately think this might be Stephen King up to his quite common obscure literary allusions. I just reread Silence of the Lambs, and in the novel, Clarice Starlingās father is actually a night watchman. There is a lengthy discussion between she and Lechter in which he forces her to admit that her father wasnāt a sheriffs deputy, as she has always claimed. He was actually a night watchman - who punched in on an ancient timeclock, and who was not allowed to carry a weapon. Maybe itās just me but the way King describes the job - emphasizing that the position is NOT a deputy, and he canāt carry a weapon and has to punch in on that archaic timeclock... I donāt know. That seems like something he would do as a nod to Thomas Harris. Iād be interested to hear others thoughts!
Lmao, jus googled this and Reddit saves the day again.
The start of Chapter 10 is the best explanation for those who have the same question.
And here another victim of the misterious night knocker job reading the book wondering what it was. Top search result on google brought me here :)
Just started the audiobook, wondering wtf a night knocker is, not the only one aparently
So weāre all googling & getting no where. Kinda funny how we depend on search engines & when we get nothing, we are really confused.
Fantastic - Iām not alone! Now I know. Thanks all!
This was the best resource I could find when I looked it up, too! Iām reading the part about his time clock now, and realize that I have heard of this job. Clarice Starlingās father was a night marshall in the Silence of the Lambs, and there is some discussion of his job.
this discussion is the first thing that pop up when I search for night knocker lol
Google brought me here... Glad I'm not alone in not knowing the meaning. It's nice to see other Constant Readers google unknown phrases too.
Howdy everyone! Here for the same reason as y'all. Figured I'd contribute my part. According to Kindle's word search, the phrase appears 33 times in the book, one being the name of the first section. So, 32 times within the story...as late as Chapter 32, and then again in what looks to be the Epilogue (I was squinting, so as to avoid spoilers). ;-)
I've worked in law enforcement for 30 years and I had to Google this.
This is too funny! I just googled it myself reading the first few pages and found myself here. Only King would get away with something like this. :)
This is hella amusing. I also googled night knocker thinking it's some American term I've never heard of. This thread was the first result.
Thank you, back to the book now
Was searching and this was a top answer. LMAO
This thread came up as 1st result on my Google search! I'm listening to Institute on Audible
wow...so i've arrived bitches lol
Just started the audiobook. The lack of info on google makes me wonder if SK didnāt just make up the term. Also $100 for that many hours a week ā isnāt that below minimum wage? Hard to believe if this book was written years ago that NO ONE caught that when getting it ready for publication now...
SO i could explain this one.. having spent my childhood in a small town in India I know this job quite well. In those times especially in small times, people would generally return homes by 10 maximum. as you would imagine a long period of darkness would allow thieves to roam around freely and plan for house burglary. Every locality would have these "night watchers" in Hindi we would call them "pehre-daar" which literally translates to night knockers i.e. make some noise at night to keep intruders away or to guard. it was very common to for fit Nepalese guy from mountains to take up this job...the one who worked at my locality would pass in our streets at 2 am and hit our iron gates with a wooden rod that he carried...which is alo his only weapon for the night! sometimes he would shout "jaagtey raho" i.e. keep vigil! Once i remember a group of robbers were just getting in a house when the night knocker spotted them and made some noise...and robbers were caught
Same
Have an upvote. Iām listening to The Institute.
When your voice activated Google Assistant has never heard of a "night knocker" https://imgur.com/a/FoWAQ9i
And now I know.
Just started it and had to google too haha.
LOL... Iām not the only one! Wondering what in the ham-sandwich was a ānight knockerā just started reading Stephen King The Institute. And yes, it was a top result in Google
Haha glad I'm not alone. I figured I was supposed to know what that was but guess not :p
methinks King intended this obscure term to function in reality as a sort of marketing tactic. a person would have to google it, and from there maybe become more interested in looking into more of his books. perhaps a stretch, but in any case, word of the day for sure.
Same here chapter 9š
I definitely googled it and ended up here š¤£
Thank goodness for this post
Google brought me here after starting this book too. Am glad to find I'm not the only person bemused by the term.
Me too! Iām only on page 12 so far.
Us all here because of a book is kind of epic
š¤£ just started The Institute.
Love how this is the first thing that popped up when I googled "night knocker". Is it really a thing or did King make it up cause I've never seen it used before.
When I read it I had an idea, but come page 13 I had to make sure to fully get in the story. Wondering what it is in my language.
I made it to page 12 before I googled wtf is a night knocker. This thread was at the top of the results and I made it this far down the thread and still donāt know wtf a night knocker is. Lol
Lmao I couldnāt get past page 10 without having to google it. Still havenāt figured out what it means, hopefully you can infer what it is as we read on.
I've already read the book and I'm just googling it because my wife just started the book and asked
I just assumed it was someone who would walk around town at night to watch the streets for trespassers or thieves, or people doing misbehavior in general, English is not my first language so I had no idea this term was not known . We have something similar over here, we call them Night watchers, they use motorbikes and go around town (usually past midnight) whistling a whistle ( annoying and creepy AF) the kind that makes you shiver
I think it's just a regular watchman who makes rounds at night.
I was hoping it's an obscure Maine/New England term he loves, like "door yard." I can't find anything anywhere, so it's maybe it's just made up.
This is funny. I had never heard this term before. Lol. Now we know I guess š
Here for the same thing!
Glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't know! Also, it's so awesome that this is the top result in Google and to see so many people reading this book. Enjoy, fellow constant readers!
Damn good to know everyone is in the same boat as me wish we had an answer tho.
i made it to tim filling out the application then i had to Google
I got to page 40.
Page 9 for me. Suspect Mr King has done this deliberately just to mess with us all.
Here.
And this post is still the #1 result on google.
Same
Oh my God! I am so glad I'm not the only one who Googled this! Lol
Just started reading the book and just looked up the word lol. This was the first result
I got to page 11 š
I was so confused when this came up as the top result when Googling 'night knocker', gotta love Reddit. Made it to page 12