Knick-knack

Origin of: Knick-knack

Knick-knack

Now means a trifle or a trinket and dates from the late 17th century. Before this, knack on its own meant a clever or ingenious way of doing something or other, which usage dates from the late Middle Ages. With the arbitrary and meaningless reduplication, knick-knack came to mean, at first a clever, then any toy or trinket.