run to form

run to form idiom
Also, run true to form. Act as one expects, especially in keeping with previous behavior. For example, She ran to form, arriving an hour late, or The door-to-door campaign was running true to form, with solicitors always arriving at dinnertime. This term originally was used for race horses running as expected from their previous record; it was transferred to human behavior in the late 1800s.

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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