knack

Use as "special skill" from 1580.[1] 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.

• IPA^(key): /næk/

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• Rhymes: -æk

knack (plural knacks)

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

   Synonyms: skill, facility, dexterity

   • 1945 January and February, A Former Pupil, “Some memories of Crewe Works—III”, in Railway Magazine, page 14:

     These men had some uncanny knack of knowing when the steel was right, and like many such things, it just could not be put into a textbook on the subject.

   • 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 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:

     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

• knackless

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

1. (obsolete, UK, 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.