What it means
Means absolutely exhausted, properly wiped out, the sort of tired where your body's packed it in and even making a cuppa feels ambitious. It's a dated British one, not something you'll hear everywhere, but it lands in the same lane as knackered or shattered, often with a dry little laugh after work, a late one, or any day that's taken the stuffing out of you.
Usage examples
"Did a quick jog after work and now I’m kippered, mate. Legs are jelly, so I’m off to the chippy for tea."
"After a double shift and the night bus home, I was absolutely kippered before I even got my coat off."
"Three days of decorating and I'm kippered, the only thing I'm painting now is the sofa with my body."
"I helped my mate move flat all weekend and I'm proper kippered now. If this kettle doesn't sort me out, nothing will."
"Went out for one pint, got home at two, and turned up to work kippered. My eyes were on strike by half nine."
Where it comes from
It comes from kipper, the smoked fish. In British slang, kippered picked up that dried-out, finished look and turned into a jokey way to say someone’s utterly done in. It’s old-school and a bit cheeky, which is exactly why it works when tired feels too plain and your whole system’s basically shut up shop.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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