Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget

&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][obs3]. 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 &e. (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[obs3], 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[Ger]; "heart to conceive the understanding to direct, or the hand to execute" [Junius]; if you have lemons, make lemonade. #699. Unskillfulness.—N. unskillfulness &c. adj.; want of skill &c. 698; incompetence, incompentency[obs3]; inability, infelicity, indexterity[obs3], inexperience; disqualification, unproficiency[obs3]; quackery. folly, stupidity &c. 499; indiscretion &c. (rashness) 863; thoughtlessness &c. (inattention) 458 (neglect) 460; sabotage. mismanagement, misconduct; impolicy[obs3]; maladministration; misrule, misgovernment, misapplication, misdirection, misfeasance; petticoat government. absence of rule, rule of thumb; bungling &c. v.; failure &c. 732; screw loose; too many cooks. blunder &c. (mistake) 495; etourderie gaucherie[Fr], act of folly, balourdise[obs3]; botch, botchery[obs3]; bad job, sad work. sprat sent out to catch a whale, much ado about nothing, wild-goose chase. bungler &c. 701; fool &c.