Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) to overturn, destroy or beat thoroughly or completely.

1833		J.K. Paulding Banks of Ohio 217: I told Tom I’d knock him into a cocked hat if he said another word.
1843		W.T. Thompson Major Jones’s Courtship (1872) 53: Wolf would gether holt of him like he was gwine to [...] mash him all into a cocked hat.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. V 63: I was knocked into a cocked hat by some infernal rascal last night!
1850		A.C. Mowatt Fashion V i: Can’t I knock him into a cocked hat with a word?
1851		Manchester Spy (NH) 26 July n.p.: Knock your mock modesty into a cock-up-hat .
1862		‘Artemus Ward’ Artemus Ward, His Book 77: But the Krysis is hear [...] She’s knockt trade into a cockt up hat and chaned Bizness of all kinds tighter nor I ever chaned any of my livin wild Beests.
1869		Armagh Guardian 26 Nov. 7/1: I reckon [...] that M’Clennan will knock the ribs into a cocked hat .
1873		Wkly Times (Melbourne) 2 Aug. 9/5: Let us abate, repress, and knock into a cocked hat this nuisance of being claimed as the fellow-countrymen of any, and every Jeremy Diddler, who has deserted his creditors in these parts.
1876		‘Dan de Quille’ Big Bonanza (1947) 339: He may be knocked into a cocked hat.
1882		G.A. Sala in Living London (1883) July 296: Now that the place has been ‘knocked into a cocked hat,’ ministers are being abused as though they were pickpockets.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Apr. 10/2: We can whip the world both on water and on whiskey. All the eloquence of the Temperance orators is knocked into the cocked hat of ancient metaphor by this simple business statement.
1885		L. Emanuel Jottings [...] of a Bengal ‘qui hye’ 19: Their ‘practice’ was splendid and soon crumbled the walls into ‘cocked hats!’.
1892		E.J. Milliken ’Arry Ballads 42: Knocks recit-ateeves into fits.
1894		Civil & Milit. Gaz. (Lahore) 18 Oct. 4/3: If we wos [i.e. generals] — where’ your army? — Gone fut, / Knocked into a bally cocked ’at!
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 235: Other ‘lags’ of my acquaintance [...] could beat his record into a cocked hat.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 16 Feb. 306: Just let drive with steady aim and blow that crow’s nest into a cocked hat.
1905		H.G. Wells Kipps (1952) 79: I tell you, you’d knock William Archer into fits.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 6 Mar. 2nd sect. 10/4: The ‘wise guys’ of the racing game who think that studying form closely can only result in the students beating the bookmakers, were all knocked into a cocked hat through Orline’s vic tory in the Australian Cup.
1915		J. Buchan Thirty-Nine Steps (1930) 48: He was all for [...] sending Germany an ultimatum telling her to do the same thing or we would knock her into a cocked hat.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 614: Mozart’s Twelfth Mass, he simply revelled in, the Gloria in that being to his mind the acme of first class music as such, literally knocking everything else into a cocked hat.
1926		E. Walrond Tropic Death (1972) 34: One o’ dem would knock a man in a cock hat.
1932		A. Huxley Brave New World (1955) 135: The concussion knocked all the Negro’s conditioning into a cocked hat.
1952		K. Amis letter 4 Oct. in Leader (2000) 294: Old FWB[ateson] knocked him into a cocked hat I thought.
1960		G. Marx letter 20 June Groucho Letters (1967) 165: The free gift of a dozen records certainly knocked it into a cocked hat.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 163: Any expert on Noah will blow my position into a cocked hat!
1983		‘Heat Moon’ Blue Highways 390: Don’t tell an Islander that, or he’ll knock you into a cocked hat.
1999		Metro 3 Aug. n.p.: This pan knocks all others into a cocked hat.
2000		Guardian Rev. 3 Mar. 27: What could have been conducted in polite, collegial fashion is now fucked into a cocked hat.

(N.Z.) to overcome, to surpass.

1865

C.R. Thatcher Colonial Songster 17: When no one’s looking, fill your dish, and you may wash out what you wish, / Puddling mullock’s knocked into a ‘mish’, Hard work will but annoy [DNZE].

(orig. US) to overturn, destroy or beat thoroughly or completely.

1821		W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry II iv: Up comes these young sparks, and gave me such a maulagaran, that they knock’d me into the middle of next week – besides tipping me this here black eye – only see how red it is!
1833		C.A. Davis Letters of Major J. Downing (1835) 95: I hit one of the Editors of the Globe, and knocked him about into the middle of next week.
1838		‘Paul Pry’ Oddities of London Life I 160: [H]e received a blow on his nose which [...] almost ‘knocked him into next week’.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 226: I’d knock him to the north end of creation in less time than a cat takes to lick her paw.
1841		W.J. Neale Paul Periwinkle 285: You lubber, suppose they knocked you into the middle of next month.
1844		‘Jonathan Slick’ High Life in N.Y. I 36: The chunked feller, with his hat knocked into the middle of next week.
1847		W.T. Porter Quarter Race in Kentucky and Other Sketches 105: The next moment he was knocked into the middle of the next three weeks!
1851		‘How Sally Hooter Got Snake-Bit’ in T.A. Burke Polly Peablossom’s Wedding 74: When I say ‘jerk!’ then you sling him into the middle of next week.
1858		R.S. Surtees Ask Mamma 305: Gameboy Green [...] rode at an impracticable fence, and got a cropper for his pains, nearly knocking the poor little Damper into the middle of the week after next.
1866		Wild Boys of London I 261/1: Why, yer sneaking Pug of a Waddington beggarbo, I’ll make yer look nine ways for Sunday, and knock yer into the middle of next week.
1867		Grey River Argus (NZ) 31 Auf. 2/6: He wos orful wild, and hoffered to send yours truly into the middle of next weak.
1869		Man about Town 6 Nov. 69/1: How often—oh, how often ! I have wished for some one to say, ‘I’ll kick you to the middle of next week’.
1886		S. Watson Wops the Waif 2/2: Why, I’d knock yer into the middle of next week, in about two twos.
1896		G.M. Fenn Sappers and Miners 160: I didn’t want to fight [...] but I could have knocked that fellow Harry Vores into the middle of next week if I’d liked.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 28 July 15/2: The tall, dark man nearly knocked the car’s front railing into next century.
1901		E.W. Hornung Black Mask (1992) 211: I certainly shan’t leave you [...] to be knocked into the middle of next week by a better man than yourself.
1917		‘Banjo’ Paterson ‘The Cast-iron Canvasser’ in Three Elephant Power 23: He fetches his right hand round with a swipe that’ll knock them into the middle of next week.
1920		Marvel 1 May 18: Fight? I’ll knock you into the middle of next week, my lad.
1935		S. Kingsley Dead End Act I: I’ll knock ’im intuh da middle a next week!
1940		E. O’Neill Long Day’s Journey into Night Act III: I’ll give him a clout that’ll knock him into next week.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 18: You’ve knocked him into next week, and you told me you were only going to knock him out.
1962		(con. 1940s) H. Simmons Man Walking On Eggshells 104: If I ever catch you young punks with anything on you I’ll slap you into the middle of next week.
1974		(con. 1945) M. Angelou Gather Together In My Name 91: I’ll slap you into the middle of next week if you even dare open your mouths again.
1978		F. Norman Dead Butler Caper 31: He’d made a good living out of punching transgressors into the middle of next week.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 281: Lots of fellers she knew would have knocked their wives into the middle of next week.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 219: You should watch your fucking mouth. She’ll kick your stinking cunt intae next fucking week —ya skanky bitch.
2016		V. McDermid Out of Bounds (2017) 397: That accident [...] we could have sued them into the middle of next week.