flair en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- flâr (US)
- /fliə/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
- /flɛɚ̯/ (US)
- (Australia) audio
- /flɜː(ɹ)/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
- /fleə/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
- /fleɹ/ (Scotland)
- /flɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /fleː/ (Australia)
- /flɛː/ (British, Southern, Standard)
Etymology
From Middle English flayre, from Old French flair (“scent, odour”), from flairier (“to reek, smell”), from Latin flāgrō, dissimilated variation of frāgrō (“emit a sweet smell”, verb). More at fragrant.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A natural or innate talent or aptitude.
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: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:to have a flair for art
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:
-
(countable, uncountable) Distinctive style or elegance.
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):to dress with flair
Each writer offers a unique flair to readers.
- (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Smell; odor.
- (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Olfaction; sense of smell.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| flairs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
flair bartending · flairless · flairsome · flairtending · flair bartender
Synonyms
elan · panache · gift · elegance · bravura · bravura · style · talent · grace · knack
Translations (42)
tl likas na talino (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · sv fallenhet (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · fr aptitude (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · pt dom (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · fr talent (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · ro eleganță (distinctive style or elegance) · bg усет (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · cs styl (distinctive style or elegance) · cmn 天资 (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · bg способност (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · cs cit (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · ru скло́нность (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · ru своеобра́зие (distinctive style or elegance) · pt aptidão (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · cs nadání (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · fr style (distinctive style or elegance) · fi lahja (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · sv sinne (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · es talento (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · pl biegłość (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · es flair (fler) (Reddit usage) · ru спосо́бность (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · id bakat alami (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · pt estilo (distinctive style or elegance) · sk štýl (distinctive style or elegance) · es etiqueta (Reddit usage) · cs talent (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · sv väderkorn (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · de Begabung (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · fi lahjakkuus (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · cmn 天分 (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · cmn 优雅 (distinctive style or elegance) · pt talento (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · de Flair (distinctive style or elegance) · ro aptitudine (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · fr panache (distinctive style or elegance) · ro stil (distinctive style or elegance) · fr don (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · bg стил (distinctive style or elegance) · sv stil (distinctive style or elegance) · ro talent (natural or innate talent or aptitude) · sv känsla (natural or innate talent or aptitude)