From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishknackknack /næk/ noun informal 1 [singular]GOOD AT a natural skill or ability → talentknack 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 somethingCOLLOCATIONSverbshave a knackHe seems to have a knack for getting people to agree with him.get the knackOnce you've got the knack, you'll never forget how to do it.lose the knackHe proved that he hadn't lost the knack for scoring goals.adjectivesan 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.
Examples from the Corpus
knack of doing something• But like most of his colleagues in Hampden Babylon he had an uncanny knack of pushing the self-destruct button.• Chris Allison believes Gedge's forte is his knack of writing strong songs with a commercial edge.• Gore reportedly has a knack of forcing the president to make up his mind and move on.• He had found in school that he didn't seem to have the knack of making himself come.• I should guess that your little friend has a splendid knack of observation but no fictional powers.• Once you have got the knack of this you can do it anywhere, whenever you need it.• Smith has a second claim with his knack of producing wicket-taking spells at a brisk pace.• The knack of outline planting is to arrange a selection of these shapes in groups that are pleasing to the eye.Origin knack (1300-1400) Perhaps from Dutch or Low German knak “(sound of) a sudden blow”, from the sound 