English: expressions: self-winding

Tutoring English, new words and expressions always come up. The tutor mentions one.

This morning my wife mentioned that someone was “self-winding.” By the context I knew she meant they were a self-starter: they didn’t need to be told to get to work. Yet, I can’t recall hearing the expression “self-winding.”

Understanding the expression “self-winding” means you are cognizant of wind-up toys, or wind-up watches, which I wonder if people still use, since so much has changed since the 1970s. “Self-winding” is a great expression when the listener understands it.