take to it like a duck to water, to

take to (something) like a duck to water

To adapt to or learn something very quickly and naturally, as if it were innate. The phrase also often implies a sense of enjoyment. Sarah took to her bike like a duck to water. She was born to ride. I wasn't sure if he'd like playing the piano, but he's taken to it like a duck to water.

See also: duck, like, take, to, water

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

take to it like a duck to water, to

To find a special affinity for it; to try something and like it. This rather obvious simile dates only from the late nineteenth century. Sir John Astley used it in his memoirs (Fifty Years of My Life, 1894): “I always took to shooting like a duck to water.”

See also: duck, like, take, to

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer