flair

plural flairs

1. countableuncountableA natural or innate talent or aptitude.

   to have a flair for art

   3 more examples

   Poirot was an extraordinary looking little man. [...] The neatness of his attire was almost incredible. I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound. Yet this quaint dandified little man who, I was sorry to see, now limped badly, had been in his time one of the most celebrated members of the Belgian police. As a detective, his flair had been extraordinary, and he had achieved triumphs by unravelling some of the most baffling cases of the day.

   1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 21

   For all his directorial flair, though, Jones may well be best remembered for creating such characters as Arthur “Two Sheds” Jackson, Cardinal Biggles of the Spanish Inquisition, the Scottish poet Ewan McTeagle and the monstrous musician rodent beater in the mouse organ sketch who hits specially tuned mice with mallets.

   2020 January 22, Stuart Jeffries, “Terry Jones obituary”, in The Guardian

   The cafard. The cockroach. The French certainly had a flair for labeling their unhappiness. Long ago he had begun to visualize this nagging misery as the insect the word also named.

   1999, Lucy Honig, The Truly Needy And Other Stories, University of Pittsburgh Press, →ISBN, page 73

   Synonyms: gift, knack, talent, bravura

2. countableuncountableDistinctive style or elegance.

   to dress with flair

   2 more examples

   Each writer offers a unique flair to readers.

   You know what, Stan, if you want me to wear 37 pieces of flair, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?

   1999, Mike Judge, Office Space, spoken by Joanna (Jennifer Aniston)

   Synonyms: elan, elegance, grace, panache, style, bravura

3. countableobsoleteuncountableSmell; odor.
4. countableobsoleteuncountableOlfaction; sense of smell.

present singular third person flairs · participle present flairing · participle past flaired · past flaired

1. transitiveTo add flair.

   Place your thumb on top of the shank and your bent index finger under the hair and pull the tying thread tight to flair it.

   1988, Poul Jorgensen, Poul Jorgensen's Book of Fly Tying: A Guide to Flies for All Game Fish