knack /næk/ BrE AmE noun informal
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Perhaps from Dutch or Low German knak '(sound of) a sudden blow' , from the sound ]
1 . [singular] a natural skill or ability ⇨ talent
knack for doing something
Some people seem to have a knack for making money.
knack of doing something
Thomson’s knack of scoring vital goals makes him important to the team.
2 . have a knack of doing something British English to have a tendency to do something:
He has a knack of saying the wrong thing.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have a knack
He seems to have a knack for getting people to agree with him.
▪ get the knack
Once you've got the knack, you'll never forget how to do it.
▪ lose the knack
He proved that he hadn't lost the knack for scoring goals.
■ adjectives
▪ an uncanny knack (=an ability that seems surprising or strange)
She has an uncanny knack for knowing what you're really thinking.
▪ an unhappy knack (=a knack that you would not want)
He had the unhappy knack of making enemies.