Bitten By the Same Bug Meaning
Definition: Having the same interest or passion.
People who are bitten by the same bug have developed a shared interest. To be bitten by the bug refers to developing an interest in something, as when someone says,
- I have been bitten by the dancing bug.
-or-
- The running bug has bitten me.
Therefore, if two people have been bitten by the same bug, they are sharing an interest in something.
Usually, people will say this phrase either if they have recently developed a passion together or if they have been working on their passion for a very long time.
Origin of Bitten By the Same Bug
Many bugs spread diseases and the symptoms that come with them through a community.
For example, a mosquito bite will spread itchiness and bumps (and sometimes worse bacterial infections). Everyone living in an area infested with mosquitoes will have similar skin reactions because they have been bitten by the same bug.
Likewise, the idiom bitten by the same bug means that people are having similar symptoms – not of a disease, but of a hobby. In this case, being bitten by a “bug” is a good thing!
Examples of Bitten by the Same Bug
Two people who have recently become interested in running may say that they were bitten by the same bug. The “symptoms” of their interest involve buying new athletic shoes and going outside for long jogs together.
Other hobbies may have different symptoms. For example, people who have recently been bitten by the same bug and want to try cooking more often will be grocery shopping and looking up recipes more often!
People may also use this phrase to refer to how they first started with a hobby. Two women who have been quilting for fifty years may say, “back in our twenties, we were both bitten by the same bug, and we started to collect fabric. Now we have been quilting for decades!”
More Examples
- Seemingly bitten by the same bug, Jake, 39, established his own design studio in London in 2004. –New York Times
- He got his flight instructor’s license after the war, and I got bitten by the same bug, building model airplanes and learning about military aviation. –Chicago Tribune
Summary
People who are bitten by the same bug have the same interests or hobbies.
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