touch for
2
6.1
- idiom
- Many chefs claim that a good touch for flavors is essential for creating delicious dishes.
Examples
-
You seem to have inherited his touch for diplomacy.
-
I thought it'd be just the right touch for your homecoming.
-
She has a natural touch for painting that impresses everyone who sees her work.
-
His touch for negotiations has helped the company secure the best deals.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Ability to do something well because of practice or training
943
1.2
An ability someone has naturally to do something well
274
4.7
A special way of using something that shows skill
263
1.8
A natural ability to do something well, like music or languages
41
3.6
A natural ability to do something well
15
2.9
An ability someone is born with to do something well
14
3.4
A talent someone is born with that they do not learn
4
3.8
A small extra detail that makes something feel nicer
Antonyms
How Talented
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'touch' (here defined as a subtle, skillful quality) plus the preposition 'for' indicating the target domain, so 'a touch for X' naturally reads as 'a skill for X'. This construction follows normal compositional patterns and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent senses can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Touch for comes from the image of a skilled, gentle hand: a careful touch that makes things look or work better. So saying someone has a touch for something means they have 'a natural skill' for it.