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^(key): /næk/

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• Audio (UK)

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• Rhymes: -æk

Noun

knack (plural knacks)

1. A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something.

   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.

   Synonyms: trick, device

Derived terms

• knackless

Translations

Verb

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.

Translations

See also

References