Why “de” with marravilla

Question

Why is “de” used in sentences with marravilla?  A mi abuela se le da de maravilla hacer punto.  A Lucía se le daban de maravilla los crucigramas pero ahora no le interesan.

Silvia Píriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Pat B.
In “dársele bien/mal algo”, expressions like “de maravilla” are fixed, so the “de” is simply part of the phrase, not something with its own meaning.
“De maravilla” works like an adverb meaning very well or brilliantly. That’s why we say se le da de maravilla, just like de pena (very badly).
So, the “de” is required because it belongs to the set expression, not because of a separate grammatical rule.
I hope that helps and feel free to ask if anything else comes up!
Un saludo
Silvia