1. A clever, expedient way of doing something.
2. A specific talent for something, especially one difficult to explain or teach. See synonyms at art¹.
3. Archaic.
   1. A cleverly designed device.
   2. A knickknack.

[Middle English knakke, from Middle Dutch cnacken, to strike, crack, probably of imitative origin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.