It's an acquired taste...

Hi everyone, over the weekend I found myself often saying:

"It's an acquired taste"

Do you know what this means? If not, don't worry I will teach you the meaning today~!

According to thefreedictionary.com to acquire means:

ac·quire
tr.v. ac·quired, ac·quir·ing, ac·quires

1. To gain possession of: acquire 100 shares of stock.

ex: Fiat recently acquired Chrysler.

So you buy or are given something and it now belongs to you.

2. To get by one's own efforts: acquire proficiency in math

ex: By practice yoga everyday he has acquired great flexibility.

So you work hard to get something.

3. To gain through experience; come by: acquired a growing dislike of television sitcoms.

ex: I acquired a love of music as a child.

Because of your experiences and having many chances to try something, you start to like or dislike something.

4. To locate (a moving object) with a tracking system, such as radar.

ex: Target acquired, launch missiles. Target destroyed.

This is often used in war movies, you have a lock on a target.

So an acquired taste is based on meaning 3 of the verb acquire. It means that you have to LEARN to like something.

For example, most people try chocolate and love the taste immediately but when they first try coffee, cigarettes (tobacco), wine, beer, etc. they DON'T like it right away. So for these things we call them acquired tastes~!

When I was young, I didn't like beer but my friends all drank beer. Then I went to the U.S. where the beer is much weaker and I started to drink beer. When I got back to Canada I could drink our stronger beer. I got used to the taste of beer and eventually started to like it. So when I meet someone who says they don't like beer, I say:

"Yeah, it's an acquired taste."

You can also say the say about people! Some people, the first time you meet them you don't really like them or you think they are strange. But as you get to know them you start to like them, so you can say:

"He's an acquired taste."

or

"He grows on you."

This is often used by women to explain why they are dating a guy who their friends don't like~! hahaha

Have a nice week,

Phil