second nature
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
- (idiomatic) A mindset, skill, or type of behavior so ingrained through habit or practice that it seems natural, automatic, or without a basis in conscious thought.
- 1825, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 1, in The Talisman:
- But habit had made the endurance of this load of panoply a second nature, both to the knight and his gallant charger.
- 1915, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 1, in Something New:
- Ashe Marson had realized that he must forego those morning exercises which had become a second nature to him.
- 2005 April 3, Jeremy Caplan, “Game On, Hold The Pepperoni”, in Time:
- For many video gamers, juggling a joystick and a pizza is second nature.
Usage notes[edit]
- Traditionally preceded by the indefinite article a, but now usually used without an article.
Translations[edit]
mindset
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