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?
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 6
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'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.
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Thank you very much.
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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.)
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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.
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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."
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