dexterousness; adroitness, expertness &c adj.; proficiency, competence,
technical competence, craft, callidity†, facility, knack, trick,
sleight; mastery, mastership, excellence, panurgy†; ambidexterity,
ambidextrousness†; sleight of hand &c (deception) 545.
seamanship, airmanship, marksmanship, horsemanship; rope-dancing.
accomplishment, acquirement, attainment; art, science;
technicality, technology; practical knowledge, technical knowledge.
knowledge of the world, world wisdom, savoir faire [Fr.]; tact;
mother wit &c (sagacity) 498; discretion &c (caution) 864; finesse;
craftiness &c (cunning) 702; management &c (conduct) 692; self-help.
cleverness, talent, ability, ingenuity, capacity, parts, talents,
faculty, endowment, forte, turn, gift, genius; intelligence &c 498;
sharpness, readiness &c (activity) 682; invention &c 515; aptness,
aptitude; turn for, capacity for, genius for; felicity, capability,
curiosa felicitas [Lat.], qualification, habilitation.
proficient &c 700.
masterpiece, coup de maitre [Fr.], chef d'euvre [Fr.], tour de
force; good stroke &c (plan) 626.
V. be skillful &c adj.; excel in, be master of; have a turn for &c n..
know what's what, know a hawk from a handsaw, know what one is about,
know on which side one's bread is buttered, know what's o'clock; have
cut one's eye teeth, have cut one's wisdom teeth.
see one's way, see where the wind lies, see which way the wind
blows; have all one's wits about one, have one's hand in; savoir vivre
[Fr.]; scire quid valeant humeri quid ferre recusent [Lat.].
look after the main chance; cut one's coat according to one's
cloth; live by one's wits; exercise one's discretion, feather the oar,
sail near the wind; stoop to conquer &c (cunning) 702; play one's cards
well, play one's best card; hit the right nail on the head, put the
saddle on the right horse.
take advantage of, make the most of; profit by &c (use) 677; make
a hit &c (succeed) 731; make a virtue of necessity; make hay while the
sun shines &c (occasion) 134.
Adj. skillful, dexterous, adroit, expert, apt, handy, quick, deft,
ready, gain; slick, smart &c (active) 682; proficient, good at, up to,
at home in, master of, a good hand at, au fait, thoroughbred, masterly,
crack, accomplished; conversant &c (knowing) 490.
experienced, practiced, skilled, hackneyed; up in, well up in; in
practice, in proper cue; competent, efficient, qualified, capable,
fitted, fit for, up to the mark, trained, initiated, prepared, primed,
finished.
clever, cute, able, ingenious, felicitous, gifted, talented,
endowed; inventive &c 515; shrewd, sharp, on the ball &c (intelligent)
498; cunning &c 702; alive to, up to snuff, not to be caught with
chaff; discreet.
neat-handed, fine-fingered, nimble-fingered, ambidextrous, sure-
footed; cut out for, fitted for.
technical, artistic, scientific, daedalian†, shipshape; workman-
like, business-like, statesman-like.
Adv. skillfully &c adj.; well &c 618; artistically; with skill, with
consummate skill; secundum artem [Lat.], suo Marte; to the best of
one's abilities &c (exertion) 686.
Phr. ars celare artem [Lat.]; artes honorabit [Lat.]; celui qui veut
celui-la peut [Fr.]; c'est une grande habilite que de savoir cacher
sonhabilite [Fr.]; expertus metuit [Lat.] [Horace]; es bildet ein
Talent sich in der Stille sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt
[G.]; heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, or the hand to
execute; [Junius]; if you have lemons, make lemonade.