matter of course, a

matter of course, a idiom
Something that is expected, as in It was a matter of course that police officers received special training. It is also put as as a matter of course, meaning “as part of a standard procedure,” as in The employer checked John's references as a matter of course. First recorded only in 1809, this idiom uses course in the sense of “the natural or logical order of events.”

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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