knack

See also: Knack and knäck

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^(key): /næk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

• Rhymes: -æk

Noun

knack (plural knacks)

1. A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something. [from 1580]

   Synonyms: skill, facility, dexterity

   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 254a.

     The sophist runs for cover 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”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     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.

   Synonyms: plaything, knickknack, toy

3. Something performed, or to be done, requiring aptness and dexterity. [from mid 14th c.]

   Synonyms: trick, device

Derived terms

• knackless

Translations

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

• Bulgarian: сръчност (bg) f (srǎčnost), похватност (bg) f (pohvatnost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 訣竅 (zh), 诀窍 (zh) (juéqiào)

• Finnish: taito (fi)
• French: chic (fr) m
• Georgian: უნარი (unari), ხერხი (xerxi), გაწაფულობა (gac̣apuloba), ცოდნა (codna)
• German: Gabe (de) f, Talent (de) n, Geschick (de) n, Fertigkeit (de) f, Kunstfertigkeit f, Kunst (de) f
• Irish: féith f

• Italian: pallino (it) m
• Kazakh: тетік (tetik)
• Plautdietsch: Bejriff m
• Polish: żyłka (pl) f, dryg (pl) m, smykałka (pl) f
• Portuguese: talento (pt) m
• Russian: сноровка (ru) (snorovka)
• Spanish: aptitud (es) f
• Welsh: dawn (cy) f

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

• German: Schnickschnack (de) m, Spielzeug (de) n
• Spanish: chisme (es) m

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

• Bulgarian: цака (bg) f (caka)
• German: Trick (de) m, Kniff (de) m, Kunststück (de) n
• Spanish: truco (es) m

Verb

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

1. (obsolete, Britain, dialect) To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise; to chink.
   • 1674, Joseph Hall, Bishop Hall's sayings concerning travellers to prevent popish and debauch'd principles, William Miller:

     If they hear the Beads knack upon each other, that's enough.

2. To speak affectedly.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Translations

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

• Bulgarian: тряскам (bg) (trjaskam)
• German: knacken (de), knarzen (de)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to speak affectedly

• German: blasiert sprechen
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can