Jay
It's a characteristic about me.
In a movie, the main character drinks quite a lot, and another character tries to stop her drinking more, then the main character says,
"It's okay. I can drink. It's a thing about me."
What does "a thing" mean here?
As I wrote in the title, does it mean "a characteristic" and is it common to say that?
2020년 8월 22일 오후 2:45
답변 · 6
'Thing' can be used to mean an object, animal, quality, event, situation, etc. https://learnersdictionary.com/definition/thing
In this case, 'thing' refers to the quality or aspect of his/her character.
2020년 8월 22일
Thank you very much.
2020년 8월 23일
Yes, you are correct. From the context of the conversation, the main character is being a bit flippant (maybe even snarky). As Michael said, the line could have been "I'm like that" or even "It's kinda my thing." would fit well within the context.
(By the way, "kinda" is obviously not technically a word. However, it is used colloquially quite a bit and fits her demeanor. You would only use it in very informal situations.)
2020년 8월 22일
in addition to Michael's options, "It's a characteristic of mine" or "it's one of my characteristics". But Michael's "I'm like that" is easier and more natural.
2020년 8월 22일
Yes it does mean a characteristic in this case, and yes its use in this way is quite modern but is now widespread. "Thing" is a word with many uses :)
Still, you wouldn't really use a "characteristic about me." You might say "I'm like that."
2020년 8월 22일
아직도 답을 찾지 못하셨나요?
질문을 남겨보세요. 원어민이 도움을 줄 수 있을 거예요!
