knack
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a natural ability to do something well, especially something that seems difficult.
an acquired or intuitive skill at performing a specific task with proficiency and ease.
Simple“My brother has a real knack for making people feel comfortable in new places.”
In context“She has a remarkable knack for identifying market trends long before they become obvious to her competitors.”
PitfallHe has a knack to fix cars. He has a knack for fixing cars.The noun 'knack' is almost always followed by the preposition 'for' and a gerund (-ing form).
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a clever or specific way of doing something that makes it easier.
a clever technique or specific method required to operate or complete something successfully.
Simple“There is a certain knack to opening this old jar without breaking the lid.”
In context“Once you learn the knack of balancing the chemicals, the entire cleaning process becomes significantly more efficient.”
Late Middle English, use as "special skill" from 1580. Possibly from 14th century Middle English krak, knack (“a sharp sound or blow”), knakke, knakken, from Middle Low German and of imitative origin, similar to Dutch knak (“snap, crack”). Latter cognate to German knacken (“to crack”). See also crack.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.