knack

English

Etymology

Use as "special skill" from 1580. Possibly from 14th century Middle English krak (“a sharp blow”), knakke, knakken, from Middle Low German, by (onomatopoeia). Latter cognate to German knacken (“to crack”). See also crack.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /næk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æk

Noun

knack (plural knacks)

1. A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something; skill; facility; dexterity.
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 254a.

     The sophist runs for conver to the darkness of what is not and attaches himself to it by some knack of his;

   • 2011 October 2, Jonathan Jurejko, “Bolton 1 - 5 Chelsea”, BBC Sport:

     And the Premier League's all-time top-goalscoring midfielder proved he has not lost the knack of being in the right place at the right time with a trio of clinical finishes.

2. A petty contrivance; a toy; a plaything; a knickknack.
3. Something performed, or to be done, requiring aptness and dexterity; a trick; a device.

Usage notes

Meaning is more of a special aptitude rather than a technique.

Translations

A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something; skill; facility; dexterity

• Finnish: taito (fi)
• French: aptitude (fr) f, talent (fr) m
• Italian: pallino (it) m

• Portuguese: talento (pt) m
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

A petty contrivance; a toy; a plaything; a knickknack

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

Something performed, or to be done, requiring aptness and dexterity; a trick; a device

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

Verb

knack (third-person singular simple present knacks, present participle knacking, simple past and past participle knacked)

1. To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise to chink.
2. To speak affectedly.

Translations

to crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise to chink

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to speak affectedly

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can