What makes you tick?

NYU2013
Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:59:26 +0000

The question is asking “What makes you tick” or rather what makes you go. I’ve never heard the use of the word tick in such context as you’re referring to it. You’re interpreting it, I believe, as “that ticks me off”. That’s not the correct word. In such context it’s asking “tick” as in clock - a clock ticks because it has XYZ parts. So you as a person tick because of XZY things.