そつなく meaning? Idiom or structure?

Question

I came across a sentence recently which uses the word (or "words", I'm unsure) そつなく and was wondering at what exactly it means and how it is used, as I can't find it described as a structure anywhere and searching it on jisho.org comes up with the unhelpful translation of a "slip up" and the verb "cry" or "bird song".

The sentence is:

さまざまな才能に恵まれて、なんでもそつなくこなす姉にとって、平々凡々たる俺の存在はひどく許せないものらしい。

And is translated as: For my multi-talented sister, able do anything with ease, it seems that my commonplace self is something whose existence she finds very hard to forgive.

I assume the そつなく part means "with ease" but I was hoping someone could explain to me what words this is derived from whether it is a separate structure, or just an idiom, and how it fits into the sentence structurally? (as my googling hasn't turned up much that is helpful.)

Answer 1

さまざまな才能に恵まれて、なんでも そつなく こなす姉にとって、平々凡々たる俺の存在はひどく許せないものらしい。

For this sentence (above), i guess these definitions are enough.

http://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%9D%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8F

  1. without a flaw; accurately

  1. to handle flawlessly

http://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%9D%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AE%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84

. cautious; careful; shrewd; without error; without slip, ... See also そつがない -- Other forms ソツのない

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ソツがない usually have very subtle negative connotations. (too shrewd, clever, too square, ... (boring) )

https://www.facebook.com/Daijisen/posts/851874638192072:0 ◆【抜け目がない】 注意深く、やることに抜けたところがない。また、自分の利益になりそうだと見れば、その機会を逃さない。

―――――――――――――――― この「自分の利益に…」のあたり、ちょっとクセ物ですよね。これの影響かどうか、【そつが無い】にも、「小利口だ」「優等生的すぎる」といったニュアンスを感じ取る人もいるようです。