English

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Noun

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second nature (uncountable)

  1. (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.

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