A skill that you have, but has little to no benefit for you

Question

Most of us have these little things we are able to do, that are a little different or special. Maybe it is something we mostly use in laid-back social situations, to break the ice and get a laugh. Beyond that, however, this talent does not do much for us. It is clearly not anything we would ever list on a resume. What might you call it?

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Intended use:

Mike's family knew he was finally recovering from his injuries when he resumed his _______ of turning everything into a corny pun, which made his nurses laugh.

Another possible use:

Alice: (sticking out tongue and touching it to tip of nose) Tada!

Bob: Wow. Impressive.

Alice: Thanks, but I know that with this _______ and a dollar I can get a cup of coffee.

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Candidates considered:

Hobby: On the contrary, your hobby can be of tremendous benefit to you. It is fun for you, releives your stress, and lets you have a sense of accomplishment. (reject)

Antic(s): For me, this has too much of a connotation that you only do the thing to create havoc or to tease another person. (near-miss)

Trick: In the absence of other options, this is what I might go with. However, this still doesn't quite sound right when I read it back. (debatable near-miss).

Despite this, feel free to propose any of these as answers if you can cite definitions and usage examples that refute my objections.

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Final word: This is tagged with both single-word-requests and phrase-requests. All things being equal, a single word will win. However, where a short multi-word phrase tells the story better than one word, then so be it.

Answer 1

Perhaps an English term borrowed from Yiddish, schtick (or shtick, or shtik)

A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: waiters in tropical attire are part of the restaurant's shtick.

American Heritage Dictionary

The term is often applied to a comedian's signature style or routine.

Answer 2

I'm not sure it matches your first example, but I feel it matches your description and second example, I'd suggest party trick.

Oxford Dictionaries describes it as

A trick such as might be performed at a party for entertainment; an unusual act regarded as one's speciality.

Answer 3

What do you think about gimmick? Though not always something that you do, a gimmick has the connotation of being a feature which superficially attracts attention or but has no real or practical value.

gimmick (n)

a method or trick that is used to get people's attention or to sell something

Answer 4

Although not exactly something one might do (at least not always willingly), I think quirk fits your description:

a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism;

in dictionary.com

Answer 5

I know there is already an accepted answer, but knack might fit.

Mike's family knew he was finally recovering from his injuries when he resumed his knack of turning everything into a corny pun, which made his nurses laugh.

In Alice's case, she would have a knack for performing odd physical feats.

m-w definition

Answer 6

Referencing the movie Planet Terror, I would use "useless talent". Which seems also adopted by Reddit, but certainly not by any dictionary.

Answer 7

As with many words, the tone used may be all that's needed to convey some sarcastic disrespect for that talent. I don't think there exists a single-word that implies a useless talent (and having the ability to make people laugh is never a wasted effort!).

The "Shtick" to me implies a routine for comedic effect - not neccessarily just a physical capacity.

So I'd probably just go with any of the synonyms for "talent"

gift

aptitude.

hmm.... how about: "peculiarity", implying an odd characteristic?

Answer 8

My instinctive response (as explained in related comments) was party trick, meaning a fairly personal ability that others would find hard to replicate. Farting the alphabet, say, or reciting an obscure novel backwards.

(The term 'party piece', which some seem to think equivalent, refers to much more competitive acts to impress, related to reproducible repertoire.)

On the other hand, if the act in question is primarily one of memorable self-promotion then the term shtick can apply. That generally connotes something like a trademark behaviour that pretty much anyone could reproduce... but they would just look like cheap imitators. Examples would include Tommy Cooper's shrugging 'Juz like that', or Steve Martin's arrow through the head.

Answer 9

Though Party Trick or Party Piece fits the description well, they don't quite fit the examples completely naturally.

You could use 'routine' in the examples to great effect.

Routine - noun

6 - an individual act, performance, or part of a performance, as a song or dance, given regularly by an entertainer: a comic routine; a dance routine.

www.dictionary.com

Though the dictionary definition given above fairly strongly references an actual act or performance, the term is also very commonly used to imply a contrived action performed by someone as if it was an act or performance in the classic sense of the word. Something of a synonym for 'party trick' and 'schtick'.

E.g. Alice: Thanks, but I know that with this routine and a dollar I can get a cup of coffee

Answer 10

A word that sprang to my mind is specialty.

While this words is often used in serious contexts, such as medicine, mathematics, or cooking, it can also be used tongue-in-cheek to refer to such "talents" as you allude to:

Mike resumed his specialty of turning everything into a corny pun, which made his nurses laugh.

With this specialty and a dollar I can get a cup of coffee.

Those seem like fairly acceptable usages (especially the first one). As for other places where I've seen the word used in a similar fashion, I found some interesting quotes:

• My specialty is detached malevolence.

^{Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who also quipped: "If you can't say something good about someone, sit right here by me."}

• My specialty is two things: music or really strange stories.

^{Malik Bendjelloul, filmmaker and director}

• My specialty is sticking my heart in places that it doesn’t belong.

^{A blogger named Elly}

• Practical jokes were his specialty. Even as a small child, he had delighted in trickery and as he grew up, the jokes became more sophisticated.

^{From the book Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier by S. Dreyfus and J. Assange}

And of course, the classic last line of The Open Window by Saki:

• Romance at short notice was her specialty.

Answer 11

Although such activities would seem to fit in Oxford Dictionary’s second definition of a “diversion":
“An activity that diverts the mind from tedious or serious concerns; a recreation or pastime: ‘our chief diversion was reading’,”

“diversion” would not, however, work well in either of your examples.
(on the other hand, although “habit” would “sound good” at least in your first example, it wouldn’t be fitting at all for the notion that you seek)

Working from the above sense #2 of “diversion,” however, I think “sideshow” could capture the general notion you seek and could work in both of your examples as well:

“Mike … resumed his sideshow of …”

“…with this sideshow and a dollar I can get a cup of coffee.”

sideshow
: a minor show offered in addition to a main exhibition (as of a circus [or resume?])
2 : an incidental diversion or spectacle
(from ‘Merriam-Webster)

(example of “sideshow” used as a “[impromptu] comedy routine” found in ‘Letters from My Sister: On Life, Love and Hair Removal’ by Eve Lederman, Faye Lederman at ‘Google Books’)

Answer 12

How about 'forté'?

This word implies that the talent is a natural skill, that it is fun for, and comes easily to, the protagonist, does not necessarily bring him anything, it's just something he likes to do - that it is a kind of habit, or something he 'falls into' - like a 'groove'.

Forté.

Some synonyms are also listed here - métier, strong suit, bent, gift, strength, specialty:

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=meaning+forte&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-sg&client=safari

I would use 'forté' for your first example, and 'talent' or 'gift' for your second.

Answer 13

Affectation -can mean an adopted way of speaking or behaving, implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others.

Example:

Bob's silly French accent is just an affectation.