quirk
gb/kwˈɚk/ us/kwˈɚk/
B2
English
rigolya, sajátosság, apró hiba, felvonja a szemöldökét, félmosolyra húzza a száját, technikalitás
NOUN
B2
1
rigolya
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] has a quirk; [someone]'s quirk
One of her quirks is that she alphabetizes the spices in her kitchen.
Az egyik rigolyája, hogy ábécérendbe rakja a fűszereket a konyhában.
He has the quirky habit of whistling whenever he’s nervous.
Az a rigolyája, hogy mindig fütyül, amikor ideges.
At first his quirks were annoying, but later they seemed kind of charming.
Learner examples
My brother has a funny quirk: he talks to his plants.
A testvéremnek van egy vicces rigolyája: beszél a növényeihez.
That’s just one of her quirks.
Ez csak az egyik rigolyája.
Common mistake:
A quirk is usually a small, specific trait; it does not mean a serious mental health condition.
Meaning
an unusual personal habit
Collocations
personal quirk
|endearing quirk
|strange quirk
|odd quirk
|little quirk
|quirk of personality
|have a quirk
|one of his quirks
|accept her quirks
|quirks and foibles
Synonyms
idiosyncrasy (Often more individual and characteristic; can sound slightly more formal.)
|
eccentricity (Usually stronger and more noticeably unusual.)
|
foible (A minor weakness or flaw, often used humorously.)
|
oddity (More general; can describe a person or a thing.)
Antonyms
normality (The state of being usual or typical.)
|
conventionality (Following common social patterns or norms.)
Themes
people
|personality
|daily_life
Definition
A small, unusual habit or way of behaving.
A distinctive, often small and unusual habit, mannerism, or trait of a person.
NOUN
B2
2
sajátosság
B2
Usage pattern:
a quirk of [something]; a quirk in [something]
A quirk of the app is that it logs you out if you switch networks.
Az alkalmazás egyik sajátossága, hogy kijelentkeztet, ha hálózatot váltasz.
The camera has a quirky feature that adds a soft filter automatically.
A kamerának van egy szokatlan funkciója: automatikusan lágy szűrőt ad a képhez.
It’s a quirk of the English language that some letters aren’t pronounced.
Learner examples
This phone has a small quirk.
Ennek a telefonnak van egy kis sajátossága.
It’s a quirk of the system.
Ez a rendszer egyik sajátossága.
Common mistake:
Don’t use quirk for a major problem; it usually suggests something minor or interesting.
Meaning
an unusual feature of something
Collocations
design quirk
|software quirk
|quirk in the system
|anatomical quirk
|grammatical quirk
|odd quirk
|interesting quirk
|a quirk of the language
|a quirk of the interface
|a quirky feature
Synonyms
peculiarity (Neutral term for a distinctive feature; often slightly more formal.)
|
anomaly (Emphasizes that it is unexpected or irregular.)
|
odd feature (Plain, descriptive alternative.)
Antonyms
standard feature (A normal, expected characteristic.)
|
regularity (The state of being normal and consistent.)
Themes
technology
|design
|daily_life
Definition
A small unusual feature of a thing or system.
A small unusual feature or characteristic of something, especially one that is unexpected but not necessarily harmful.
NOUN
B2
3
apró hiba
B1
Usage pattern:
a quirk in [something]; a quirk of [something]
The printer has a quirk that makes it jam if you load the paper too quickly.
A nyomtatónak van egy apró hibája: elakad benne a papír, ha túl gyorsan töltöd be.
It’s not broken—just a quirk that you learn to work around.
Nem romlott el, csak van egy ilyen apró hibája, amit idővel megtanulsz kikerülni.
A quirk in the billing system duplicated a few payments.
Learner examples
The machine has a small quirk.
A gépnek van egy apró hibája.
There is a quirk in the system.
Van egy apró hiba a rendszerben.
Common mistake:
A quirk is usually small; for a serious problem, use flaw, defect, or failure.
Meaning
a minor fault or glitch
Collocations
minor quirk
|known quirk
|hardware quirk
|a quirk in the wiring
|a quirk in the engine
|a quirk in the process
|a quirk of the device
|manufacturing quirk
|bug or quirk
|work around a quirk
Synonyms
glitch (Very common for small technical problems, especially temporary ones.)
|
flaw (More general and can be more serious than quirk.)
|
defect (Often used for manufacturing or design faults; sounds more serious.)
Antonyms
reliability (Consistently working as expected.)
|
perfection (No faults or imperfections.)
Themes
technology
|work
Definition
A small problem that causes odd behavior.
A minor fault or imperfection, especially one that causes slightly unexpected behavior in a machine, system, or process.
VERB
C1
4
Usage pattern:
quirk [one's eyebrow]; quirk [the corner of one's mouth]
She quirked an eyebrow when she heard the excuse.
Mikor meghallotta a kifogást, felvonta a szemöldökét.
He quirked the corner of his mouth in a half-smile.
Félmosolyra húzta a szája sarkát.
At the comment, she quirked her lips as if trying not to laugh.
Learner examples
He quirked an eyebrow.
Felvonta a szemöldökét.
She quirked a small smile.
Halvány félmosolyra húzta a száját.
Common mistake:
This verb is used mainly with eyebrow, lip, or mouth corner; it is not a general verb for “smile.”
Meaning
raise or twist a facial part
Collocations
quirk an eyebrow
|quirk one eyebrow
|quirk the corner of his mouth
|quirk her lips
|quirk a smile
|quirk his mouth to one side
Synonyms
arch (Common with eyebrows; suggests a questioning or skeptical look.)
|
raise (More general; less expressive than quirk.)
|
curl (Often used for lips or the mouth; focuses on the shape.)
Antonyms
lower (Move an eyebrow down instead of up.)
|
relax (Let facial muscles return to a neutral position.)
Themes
body_language
|communication
|emotions
Definition
To lift an eyebrow or make a small uneven smile.
To raise or twist a part of the face, especially an eyebrow or the corner of the mouth, to show a feeling such as amusement, doubt, or irony.
NOUN
C2
FORMAL
5
Usage pattern:
a quirk of [law/logic]; a legal quirk
A quirk of the law meant the charges had to be dropped.
Egy jogi technikalitás miatt ejteni kellett a vádakat.
They won the case on a procedural quirk, not on the facts.
Eljárási technikalitás miatt nyerték meg a pert, nem a tények alapján.
The argument relied on a quirk of logic that didn’t convince the audience.
Common mistake:
In modern English this sense is uncommon; learners usually want technicality or loophole in legal contexts.
Meaning
a minor legal or logical technicality
Collocations
legal quirk
|quirk of the law
|procedural quirk
|a quirk of logic
|a quirk in the rules
|exploit a quirk
Synonyms
technicality (A small detail in rules or wording that can affect an outcome.)
|
loophole (A gap in rules that allows avoidance; often negative.)
Antonyms
plain meaning (The straightforward interpretation without tricky details.)
|
clarity (Lack of ambiguity or subtle exceptions.)
Themes
law
|debate
|politics
Definition
A small, tricky detail in rules or reasoning.
A subtle, often minor point of reasoning or wording, especially one used to make an argument seem correct or to avoid a rule.
Grammar
Dictionary form
quirk
IPA
GB/kwˈɚk/
US/kwˈɚk/
Syllables & stress
quirk (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (quirk)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: quirk
- Plural: quirks
Word family
Expressions
a quirk of fate
1/ə kwˈɚk əv fˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
an unexpected twist by chance
Something surprising that happens by chance.
Examples
- By a quirk of fate, they ended up living on the same street again years later.
- A quirk of fate put her in the right place at the right time.
- It was a quirk of fate that his replacement turned out to be his old friend.
Learner examples
- By a quirk of fate, I met my teacher on the train.
a quirk of history
1/ə kwˈɚk əv hˈɪstɚi/
fixed phrase
an unexpected historical coincidence
A surprising detail from history that affected events.
Examples
- It’s a quirk of history that the two rivals were once allies.
- A quirk of history left the city with two main stations instead of one.
- By a quirk of history, the building survived while everything around it was destroyed.
a quirk of nature
1/ə kwˈɚk əv nˈeɪt͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
something unusually produced by nature
Something in nature that is unusual or rare.
Examples
- The double rainbow was a quirk of nature caused by the angle of the sunlight.
- The animal’s coloring was a quirk of nature, not a sign of illness.
- The lake’s bright blue color is a quirk of nature created by minerals in the water.
a quirk of the system
1/ə kwˈɚk əv ðə sˈɪstəm/
fixed phrase
odd result caused by system behavior
A small strange behavior in a system.
Examples
- It’s a quirk of the system that new passwords take a few minutes to work.
- Because of a quirk of the system, the report shows yesterday’s date.
- Customer support said it was just a quirk of the system and not a security issue.
Learner examples
- It’s a quirk of the system.