From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnousnous /naʊs $ nuːs, naʊs/ noun [uncountable] British English informal INTELLIGENTintelligence and the ability to make good practical decisions SYN common sense At least she had the nous to ring.
Examples from the Corpus
nous• But then most of us could probably bluff our way into a second division club with a bit of nous.• The Hammers' victory allied skill to discipline and tactical nous.• Gradually, he confounded everyone with his burgeoning vocabulary and tactical nous.• His temperament and lack of tactical nous made him a bad choice from the start.• Neither approached the tactical nous of cricket's most famous cravat wearer, Douglas Jardine.Origin nous (1600-1700) Greek “intelligence” 