in the blood
Born with it
In the blood describes a trait, talent, or tendency so deeply ingrained it seems inherited rather than learned: Music is in the blood for that family.
The phrase suggests something fundamental to one's nature, passed down through generations like a genetic inheritance.
Racing is in his blood—his grandfather and father both drove stock cars.
- deep-rootedFirmly and long established
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- inbornExisting from birth
- bredRaised or propagated
- bred in the boneInherent from earliest formation
DNA · instinctive · born with it · inherent · ingrained · genetic predisposition · intrinsic · passed down · second nature · runs in the family · ancestral roots · intuitive · unlearned · nature versus nurture · gene pool · innate · mother's milk · marrow
- Family Resemblancespitting image, identical twins, look-alike, family resemblance, takes after