Sentence:  Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Whimsey ( the respective creations of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers ) have retained Holmes ' egotism but not his zest for life and eccentric <WSD>habits</WSD> . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition