have a thing about

Idioms  

1. Be obsessed or preoccupied with something. For example, He has a thing about disorder in the garage, or Bob has a thing about brunettes. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

---

Example Sentences

“I still have a thing about yellow flowers in open fields,” she admits.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

“I have a thing about mountains,” Dr. Singh, now 70 and retired, said during an interview in his apartment in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “To me Hokusai captured the essence of the mountain.”

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2024

“People have a thing about feet,” DeRuvo conceded.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2023

Dear Amy: I’m a 5-foot-9-inch woman, and it amazes me to hear how many people have a thing about height: The guy always “has” to be taller.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2022

Because Mr. Wise says I have a thing about sentence fragments.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli