run in the blood

run in the blood

To be innate, as of a skill or quality. All of my relatives are doctors—medical prowess just runs in the blood. That type of passion can't be taught—it has to run in the blood.See also: blood, run

run in the blood

Also, run in the family. Be characteristic of a family or passed on from one generation to the next, as in That happy-go-lucky trait runs in the blood, or Big ears run in the family. The first term dates from the early 1600s, the second from the late 1700s. See also: blood, run

run in the blood/family, to

To be characteristic of a family or peculiar to a nation, ethnic group, or other group. Richard Brinsley Sheridan used this expression in 1777 in The School for Scandal (3.3): “Learning that had run in the family like an heirloom!”See also: blood, run