take a shine to, to

take a shine to

take a fancy to; develop a liking for. informal
See also: shine, take
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

take a shine to

Informal
To like spontaneously.
See also: shine, take
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

take a shine to, to

To develop a liking for something or someone. The origin of this nineteenth-century American colloquialism, first appearing in print in 1839, has been lost. Nevertheless, it remains current, mostly in America. L. Meynell used it in Papersnake (1978): “He took a shine to you.”
See also: shine, take
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • monkey's uncle, I'll be/am a
  • how-d'ye-do
  • flow
  • nummers
  • sweat
  • sweats
  • yes, sirree
  • nummy
  • bottle
  • the bottle