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单词 second
释义
second1 numbersecond2 nounsecond3 adverbsecond4 verbsecond5 verb
secondsec‧ond1 /ˈsekənd/ ●●● S1 W1 number Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • A second, then third decimation began.
  • Another forecaster places it second, and two others pick it to tie for runner-up.
  • He is not paid £20 million a year to come second.
  • The second was a glass dome, the size of a man, and a little taller than our hero.
  • Thus this second part is simply the tape that supposed to act on.
Thesaurus
Longman Language Activatorto change your decisions, intentions, or plans
· No, I'm not going out tonight. I've changed my mind.· What if she changes her mind and doesn't turn up?change your mind about · If you change your mind about the job, just give me a call.· Barry hadn't changed his mind about leaving.
to feel less sure about something that you intended to do, and begin to think that it may not be a good idea: · Couples contemplating divorce often have second thoughts when they realize how it will affect their children.have second thoughts about: · It was obvious that the company was having second thoughts about the whole project.
informal to suddenly feel that you are not brave enough to do something that you intended to do: · A month before the wedding Rose seemed nervous and anxious, and I wondered if she was getting cold feet.· Some investors got cold feet, and pulled out of the project at the last minute.
to change your mind about something you have publicly promised to do, by saying that you will only do part of it or that you might not do it at all: · If union leaders start to backtrack now, they'll lose their supporters.backtrack on: · The President seems to be backtracking on some of his election promises.· There is increased pressure on Congress to backtrack on some of the welfare cuts imposed last year.
when someone can speak more than one language
someone who is bilingual can speak two languages perfectly: · I'm bilingual - my mother was French.· Many of the pupils are bilingual in Welsh and English.
your second language is a language that you speak well and often use, but not the first language that you learned as a child: · Halima was born in Kenya. Her first language is Swahili, and her second language is English.
WORD SETS
add, verbaddition, nounArabic numeral, nounarithmetic progression, nounbi-, prefixbillion, numbercalculate, verbcalculation, nouncardinal, nouncardinal number, nouncoefficient, nouncommon denominator, nounconstant, nouncube, verbcube root, nounD, noundecimal, noundecimal, adjectivedecimal point, noundemi-, prefixdenominator, noundigit, noundivide, verbdividend, noundivisible, adjectivedivision, noundivisor, noundouble-digit, adjectivedouble figures, nouneight, numbereighteen, numbereighth, adjectiveeighty, numbereleven, numberequal, adjectiveequal, verbequals sign, nouneven, adjectiveexponent, nounfactor, nounfactor, verbfactorial, nounfifteen, numberfifth, nounfifty, numberfig., figure, nounfive, numberforty, numberfour, numberfourteen, numberfourth, nounfraction, noungeometric progression, noungross, nounHCF, hundred, numberimproper fraction, nounindivisible, adjectiveinfinity, nouninteger, nounL, nounlogarithm, nounlowest common denominator, nounM, nounmedian, nounmedian, adjectivemillion, numbermultiple, nounmultiplication, nounmultiplication sign, nounmultiplication table, noun-nd, suffixnegative, adjectivenine, numbernineteen, numberninety, numberninth, adjectiveNo., nos., nothing, pronounnought, numbernumber, nounnumeral, nounnumerator, nounnumerical, adjectiveO, nounoblique, nounone, numberordinal number, nounpi, nounplot, verbplus, prepositionpoint, nounpositive, adjectiveprime number, nounproduct, nounproper fraction, nounproportion, nounquadr-, prefixquadrillion, numberquadruple, adjectivequotient, noun-rd, suffixroman numeral, nounroot, nounround, adjectivescore, numbersecond, numberserial number, nounset, nounsingle figures, nounsix, numbersixteen, numbersixty, numbersquare, nounsquare, verbsquared, adjectivesquare root, noun-st, suffixsubtract, verbsum, nountake, verbten, numbertenth, adjectivetertiary, adjectivetetra-, prefixthirteen, numberthirty, numberthousand, numberthree, numberthree-quarter, adjectivethreescore, numbertreble, determinertri-, prefixtrillion, numbertwelve, numbertwenty, numbertwice, adverbunit, nounV, nounvulgar fraction, nounwhole number, nounX, nounzero, number
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
 Africa’s second highest mountain
(=used to emphasize that something is nearly the largest, most important etc) The euro will have a circulation second only to that of the dollar.
 I asked the doctor for a second opinion (=when you ask another person to repeat an examination, test etc for you).
 I just want to give these kids a second chance.
 He got his second wind and ran on.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· We had a fourth-floor apartment, and it was difficult going up and down all those stairs.
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
(also at the first/second etc attempt British English)· The car started at the second attempt.
· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
 United currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League.
(=one that is not new)· The company locates suitable new and used cars for buyers.
· In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
· The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
 in the closing years of his life
(=not new)· Charity shops sell second-hand clothes at low prices.
 She came first in the 200 metres.
 His horse came in second to last.
· Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
(=the level at which you pass a degree at a British university)· She was awarded a first-class degree.
· The second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.
(=the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year)· The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
· The first edition was published in 1986.
 The talks have now entered their third week.
 Re-apply your sunscreen every two hours.
 He finished second in the 100 metres, behind Ben Johnson.
· We’re moving into a first-floor flat.
 examinations taken in the fourth form
· The heavy traffic meant that we seldom got out of second gear.
· He put the car into gear, and they moved slowly forwards.
(=put the car into gear)· Nick struggled to engage first gear.
· Profits doubled in the first half of the year.
(=someone whose parents or grandparents were immigrants)· These boys are second-generation immigrants who grew up speaking English.
(=a more detailed interview after you have been successful in a previous interview)· She was asked back for a second interview.
(=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language.
(=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph
 He must be first in line for the editor’s job.
· She had two children from her first marriage.
 The motion was seconded (=formally supported) by Mr Levin.
· Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
· We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
· She won first prize in a poetry competition.
 in the last quarter of the 19th century
 The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
 The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
 I’m not going to settle for second best.
(=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else)
 Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens?
 second-hand accounts of mass killings
 We got most of our furniture second hand.
 It may not be true – I only heard it second hand.
(=in their first year, second year etc at college or university)· First-year students have an exam at the end of term.
(=the team with players who are not as good as those in the first team)· He stepped up from the second team when Roberts was injured.
 Woosnam and Lyle tied for fourth place on 264.
 The second tier of the programme is in-house training.
· This is his first try at directing.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
  • Couples contemplating divorce often have second thoughts when they realize how it will affect their children.
  • It was obvious that the company was having second thoughts about the whole project.
  • But now, with the raft travelling more slowly than I had planned, I began to have second thoughts.
  • But then various men on the race committee and some male members of the National Aeronautic Association began to have second thoughts.
  • I hope Darlington Transport have second thoughts on the matter.
  • Keep him laughing and he might have second thoughts about eating you!
  • Perhaps Mr Harrison would have second thoughts if he walked in our neck of the woods.
  • Somewhere between second helpings I began to have second thoughts.
  • Such incidents might have caused Sir Bernard to have second thoughts about the system; but he defends it with passion.
  • Then, before she could have second thoughts, she picked up the telephone and dialled his number.
  • But perhaps, on second thoughts, it wasn't so strange: Luke was special, unique.
  • He was decisive and never wasted time on second thoughts.
  • In fact, on second thoughts, would it not be far more sensible to invite Emilia to come to Cambridge?
  • No, on second thoughts, I wasn't sulking.
  • Then, on second thoughts, she opened the lid just the tiniest fraction so that the creature could breathe.
  • William Oh-right-on second thoughts maybe it wasn't that bad.
  • You eventually work out that if ... on second thoughts, you can solve it yourself!
► not give something a second thought/without a second thought► not give something a second glance/look
  • Typing becomes second nature after a while.
  • But the main reason for my silence was that secrecy and deception had by then become second nature to me.
  • By the time you die, you should be so used to paying taxes that it would almost be second nature anyway.
  • Gradually those qualities become second nature.
  • If one is well grounded in youth, the object of love and sound toilet training, these things become second nature.
  • Management by objective was becoming second nature in the West Wing.
  • Pay close attention to the sweep pattern and strokes, and this will eventually become second nature.
  • Practice breathing in this way for twenty minutes each day until it becomes second nature.
  • The strange and difficult was becoming second nature in the way that it had when I'd learned to fly.
  • By the 1980s Borge had got his second wind and looked like going on for ever as an international touring artist.
  • Cruising along on a second wind.
  • I was drunk, okay, but I was getting my second wind by now.
  • I won my race into a 1.5 metres per second wind.
  • She had got her second wind.
  • She seems to have acquired a second wind.
  • So one perennial idea getting a second wind is the campaign to raise the pitifully low current minimum wage.
  • Dalziel was well known, hailing and being hailed by nearly every second person they passed, it seemed to Pascoe.
  • His musical technique is second to none.
  • For those celebrating it's history, the Great Tower is second to none.
  • He is a pianist of extraordinary capability, with a virtuoso technique that is second to none.
  • Its array of futuristic industries is second to none.
  • Mark Elder conducts a performance that is second to none in brilliance and precision.
  • Mr Caton's record as a schoolmaster is second to none.
  • Mr. Amos Does my right hon. Friend accept that the quality of cultural life in the north-east is second to none?
  • Oh yes, he had performed well in the Sigerson Cup competition and his Higher Education track record is second to none.
  • The quality of Britain's overseas aid programme is second to none.
  • Boone will have to prove in his second chance that he can delegate and teach.
  • Creative football that created the big chance - a second chance at Wembley.
  • Fornek got a second chance at close range as Gingrich was leaving the luncheon.
  • He'd been offered a second chance of salvation.
  • In what other sports is a participant allowed a second chance because of failure?
  • It was his addled understanding of the rules of warfare that the marksman should be given a second chance.
  • Or that rarity, a second chance?
  • You don't get a second chance - fatal wounds stay fatal.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► two points/five seconds etc adrift (of somebody)► the 10-second/40% etc barrier► another/a second bite at the cherry
  • But they remained second-class citizens as the Service restocked itself with young men of the right background from Oxford and Cambridge.
  • Here we are, second-class citizens in our own country.
  • One danger of treating all crime as sickness is that it makes the criminal a second-class citizen.
  • Private car-owners have become second-class citizens.
  • Some speak resentfully of a takeover by the Wessis, with themselves marked out for the role of second-class citizens.
  • They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.
  • We did not have a chance to mingle with Okinawansthey were considered second-class citizens.
  • Women were very definitely second-class citizens.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
► three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
  • Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
► not give something a second thought/another thought
  • Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
  • After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
  • I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
  • Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
  • Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
  • The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
  • The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
  • A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
  • Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
  • Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand, or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
  • The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
  • The leader takes a watch with a second hand, points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
  • The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
  • The story is now taken up at second hand.
  • There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
  • Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
  • Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
  • And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
  • Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
  • For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
  • I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
  • It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
  • It went dead for just a second.
  • Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
  • Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
  • After his win in Frankfurt on Sunday, he lies second in the series just behind Michel Robert.
  • Driving a Banbury prepared Prodrive Subaru, McRae now lies third in the championship.
► be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
  • Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
  • At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
  • But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
  • Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
  • It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
  • Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
  • More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
  • The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
  • But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
  • But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place.
  • In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
  • In the second place, it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
  • The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place.
  • There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place.
  • We never enjoyed them in the first place.
  • Why had they come to this country in the first place?
  • However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
  • However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
  • It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
  • Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
  • Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
  • Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
  • There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
  • Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
  • But it is unwise to assume that parents will inevitably pose a problem when they are placed first.
  • Fiona Burgess was placed second with Jenny Dwyer improving on past form to gain third position.
  • Inside the bracket the symbol of the central atom is placed first.
  • He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
  • But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
  • Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
  • He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
  • Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
  • She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
  • So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
  • The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
  • Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
  • All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
  • Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
  • It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
  • Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
  • Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
  • The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
  • The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
  • They have a poor third quarter.
► first-rate/second-rate/third-rate
  • I wanted two second-class tickets to Coimbra.
  • First-class and second-class mail should be put through the machine on separate runs.
  • The quantity relative for second-class stamps is 140.0, indicating an increase in numbers bought of 40%.
► second-degree burns
  • A 16-year-old black youth, Lemrick Nelson, was later charged with second-degree murder in relation to the stabbing.
  • After psychiatric evaluations found that he was competent to stand trial, Harwood pleaded guilty July 16 to second-degree murder.
  • Bach, 13, was arrested late last month and charged with second-degree murder.
  • Davis was arrested weeks later and convicted of second-degree assault.
  • He faces a count of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10 shooting death of Brad Hansen, also 13.
  • However, the degree of severity of the indictment, which could range from negligent homicide to second-degree murder, remains unclear.
  • Kravitz reduced the charge to second-degree murder.
  • Last week, she won her freedom after agreeing not to contest charges of second-degree murder.
► a split second► first-string/second-string etc
  • And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
  • And hey, wait a minute.
  • Beth, can it wait a minute?
  • But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
  • But wait a minute, what's this?
  • I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
  • They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
  • Ward waited a moment by the door.
  • By his second year, he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
  • Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
  • Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year.
  • He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
  • In her second year, she met Edgar Lintot.
  • Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
  • That first year, by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
1the second person, thing, event etc is the one that comes after the first:  the Second World War the second of August a second year student his second wife Clinton’s second term in office the second half of the year the second time in three days2the position in a competition or scale that comes after the one that is the best, most successful etc:  She won second prize. They climbed to second place in the League.second largest/most successful etc Africa’s second highest mountainbe second only to something (=used to emphasize that something is nearly the largest, most important etc) The euro will have a circulation second only to that of the dollar.3another example of the same thing, or another in addition to the one you have:  We advertised for a second guitarist. There was a second reason for his dismissal. I asked the doctor for a second opinion (=when you ask another person to repeat an examination, test etc for you).4every second year/person/thing etc a)the second, then the fourth, then the sixth year etc:  The nurse comes every second day. b)used to emphasize that, in a group of similar things, there is too much of one particular thing:  Every second house seemed to be boarded up.5be second to none to be the best:  The quality of Britain’s overseas aid programme is second to none.6second chance help given to someone who has failed, in the hope that they will succeed this time:  I just want to give these kids a second chance.7have second thoughts to start having doubts about a decision you have made:  You’re not having second thoughts, are you?second about She’d had second thoughts about the whole project.8on second thoughts British English, on second thought American English spoken used to say that you have changed your mind about something:  I’ll call her tomorrow – no, on second thought, I’ll try now.9not give something a second thought/without a second thought used to say that someone does not think or worry about something:  She dismissed the rumour without a second thought.10not give something a second glance/look (also without a second glance/look) to not look at something again, because you have not really noticed it or because it does not seem important:  No one gave the woman in the grey uniform a second glance.11be/become second nature (to somebody) something that is second nature to you is something you have done so often that you do it almost without thinking:  Driving becomes second nature after a while.12 second wind a new feeling of energy after you have been working or exercising very hard, and had thought you were too tired to continue:  He got his second wind and ran on.
second1 numbersecond2 nounsecond3 adverbsecond4 verbsecond5 verb
secondsecond2 ●●● S1 W2 noun Word Origin
WORD ORIGINsecond2
Origin:
1-3, 5 1300-1400 Medieval Latin secunda, from secunda pars minuta ‘second small part, one sixtieth of a minute’, from Latin secundus; ➔ SECOND2
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
  • Well, first of all, it's too expensive and second, we don't have anywhere to put it.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • A second, then third decimation began.
  • Another forecaster places it second, and two others pick it to tie for runner-up.
  • He is not paid £20 million a year to come second.
  • Left fielder Mark Whiten reached out and poked a tailing fastball over the left-field wall in the second.
  • Ruth understood why in that tender, desperate second.
  • The second was a glass dome, the size of a man, and a little taller than our hero.
Thesaurus
Longman Language Activatora short time
· Unfortunately, we could only spend a short time together.· The talk should only last a short time.in/within a short time · How did you manage to do all this in such a short time?· The police arrived within a very short time.a short time ago · Your friends left a short time ago.for a short time · I think he went to prison for a short time.
a short period of time, during or after which something happens: · It always takes a little while to get used to the climate.for a short/little while: · Bob's only worked here for a short while, about six months I think.a little while/a short while ago: · He died a little while ago.· She was in the papers a short while ago. after/in a little/short while: · If you take the pills now, your headache will go after a short while.· Don't start that now, it'll be time to go in a little while.
a very short time, no more than a few minutes: · Just a moment Susie, can I have a quick word with you?· Can I borrow your pen a minute?· Wait a minute, I'm nearly ready.a minute/moment ago: · Where's Charles gone? He was here a moment ago.for/in a minute/moment: · Sit down for a minute and rest your legs.· Mark should be back in a moment.· I'll be with you in a minute.
an extremely short time, no more than a few seconds: · Do you mind switching the telly on a second?· An instant later, she let out a piercing scream.· 'Yes,' she declared, without an instant's hesitation.· 'Have you finished writing?' 'No, hang on a second.'for a second/an instant: · Can I stop you there, just for a second?· Just hold that end for a second while I fix this to the wall.· Did her eyes flicker open for an instant?in a second/an instant: · Mr Smart's on the other line, can he call you back in a second?· We both fell asleep in an instant.
British spoken a short time, usually just a few minutes: · I waited, and a bit later the phone went again -- it was Bill.· Oh, wait a bit, can't you?after/for/in a bit: · I think I'll lie down for a bit.· 'Are you coming?' 'Yes, in a bit.'· After a bit, Bill had started to tire of her company.
a short time
a very short time: · Can I show you something? It'll only take a minute.· Luke thought for a moment and then said: "Would you like to come too?"· Can you turn that off a minute (=for a minute) ?in a minute/moment: · Yes, I'm coming in a moment.a minute/moment ago: · Helen was here a minute ago. You've just missed her.for a minute/moment: · If you'd been quiet for a minute, I'd explain what happened.
also a sec informal spoken a very short time - use this especially when asking someone to wait for a short time: · Just a second - I think it's on the desk upstairs.for a second/sec: · For a second there, I forgot what it was called.in a second/sec: · Hang on, I'll be with you in a sec.
a short time: · "How long will it take?" "Oh, not long - just a couple of hours."· I saw her not long ago.not long before/after: · His book was published not long after he died.· It wasn't long before Gemma lost all interest in the new puppy. not long to go (=used to say that something will happen in a short time): · "When's the baby due?" "Three weeks, so there's not long to go."won't be long (=use this to say that someone or something will come or return soon): · I'm popping to the shop, I won't be long.· Supper won't be long.
especially British, spoken a short time: · Wait a bit, I've nearly finished.· I sat down, and after a bit, the phone rang.· Do you mind looking after the kids for a bit while I go out?
a short period of time, during or after which something happens: · Bob's only worked here for a short while, about six months I think.· It always takes a little while to get used to the climate.a little/short while ago: · He was on the telly a short while ago.
a short period of time during which a lot of things happen: in/within a short space of time: · It's amazing how much you can learn in such a short space of time.· In the brief space of time since the war ended, citizens have managed to rebuild over half the city.· She had gained an awful lot of journalistic experience within a short space of time.
what you say to tell someone to wait
· Wait, I have a better idea.· Wait! We haven't talked to Vicky yet.wait a minute/moment/second etc · Wait a minute. I forgot to turn off the lights.· Wait a second, don't rush off!
say this when you want someone to wait a short time: · Just a minute, I'm almost ready.· Just a second, let me just check I've got my keys with me.
also hang on especially British use this to tell someone to wait for a short time: · Hold on - I haven't finished yet.hold on a minute/moment/second etc: · Hang on a minute while I find her phone number.
use this to tell someone to be patient because they will find out about something later: · "So what's this surprise you've got for me then?" "Wait and see."· I'm not going to tell you who else I've invited - you'll just have to wait and see.
say this when you are advising someone to wait before deciding something, in order to see how the situation develops: · Let's load up the program and see how things go.· See how things go for another week, and if you're no better we'll change the treatment.
American use this to tell someone to stop, because you want to talk to them or go with them: · Wait up, you guys! I can't walk that fast.
say this when you want someone to know that you will be able to see them or talk to them very soon: · I'm sorry for the delay, sir - I'll be right with you.· Hang your coat up and make yourself at home - I'll be right there.
formal use this to ask someone to wait patiently while you explain something or while you finish what you are doing: · If you'll just bear with me, I'll explain.· Bear with me for just a couple of minutes while I find my notes.
say this to someone who is hurrying too much, when you want them to slow down: · Hold your horses - I haven't even said I'll do the job yet!
spoken say this to someone who wants you to hurry, to tell them that you are not going to: · "When are we going to open the presents?" "All in good time."
WORD SETS
AD, advance, verbafter, prepositionafternoon, nounalarm, nounalarm clock, nouna.m., Anno Domini, annual, adjectiveApril, nounAsh Wednesday, nounAug., August, nounautumn, nounautumnal, adjectivebank holiday, nounBC, BCE, biannual, adjectivebicentenary, nounbicentennial, nounbiennial, adjectivebimonthly, adjectivebirthday, nounbiweekly, adjectivebonfire night, nounBoxing Day, nounBritish Summer Time, nounBST, nouncalendar, nouncalendar month, nouncalendar year, nouncarriage clock, nouncentenary, nouncentury, nounChristmas, nounChristmas Day, nounChristmas Eve, nounChristmastime, nounchronograph, nounchronological, adjectivechronometer, nouncircadian, adjectiveclock, nouncrystal, nouncuckoo clock, nouncycle, nouncyclic, adjectivedaily, adjectivedaily, adverbdate, noundate, verbdawn, nounday, nounDec., decade, nounDecember, noundiamond anniversary, noundiamond jubilee, noundinnertime, noundiurnal, adjectived.o.b., due date, noundusk, nounface, nounFather's Day, nounfeast, nounFebruary, nounfortnightly, adjectiveFourth of July, the, Fri., Friday, nounGood Friday, nounGreenwich Mean Time, nounGregorian calendar, nounguy, nounGuy Fawkes Night, nounhalf-hourly, adjectivehalf-yearly, adjectiveHalloween, nounhand, nounHanukkah, nounharvest festival, nounHogmanay, nounhorn, nounhour, nounhourglass, nounhour hand, nounhr, Independence Day, nounJan., January, nounjubilee, nounJuly, nounJune, nounLabor Day, nounleap year, nounlunar month, nounmainspring, nounman-hour, nounMar., March, nounMardi Gras, nounmarket day, nounMaundy Thursday, nounMay, nounMay Day, nounMichaelmas, nounmidday, nounmiddle age, nounmiddle-aged, adjectivemidnight, nounMidsummer Day, nounmidweek, adjectivemillennium, nounmin., minute hand, nounMon., Monday, nounmonth, nounmorn, nounmorning, nounMothering Sunday, nounMother's Day, nounmovable feast, nounnew moon, nounNew Year, nounNew Year's Day, nounNew Year's Eve, nounnight, nounnightfall, nounnighttime, nounnocturnal, adjectiveNoel, nounnoon, nounnoonday, adjectiveNov., November, nounOct., October, nounp.a., Pancake Day, nounPDT, penultimate, adjectiveper annum, adverbper diem, adverbperiodic, adjectivep.m., PST, public holiday, nounquarter, nounquotidian, adjectiveRemembrance Day, nounSat., Saturday, nounschoolday, nounseason, nounsecond, nounsecond hand, nounself-winding, adjectiveSeptember, nounshockproof, adjectivesilver anniversary, nounsilver jubilee, nounsilver wedding anniversary, nounsolar year, nounsolstice, nounspring, nounspringtime, nounstandard time, nounstopwatch, nounsummer, nounsummer solstice, nounsummertime, nounsummery, adjectiveSun., Sunday, nounsundown, nounsunrise, nounsunset, nounsun-up, nountercentenary, nounThanksgiving, nounthirty, numberThursday, nountime, nountime, verbtimepiece, nountimer, nountime signal, nountime warp, nountime zone, nountoday, adverbtoday, nountomorrow, adverbtomorrow, nountonight, adverbtonight, nountriennial, adjectiveTuesday, nountwilight, nounWed., Wednesday, nounweek, nounweekday, nounweekend, nounweekly, adjectiveweeknight, nounWhit, nounWhitsun, nounwinter, nounwintertime, nounwk., wristwatch, nounyear, nounyesterday, adverbyr., Yule, nounYuletide, noun
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
 Ultrasonic waves travel at around 300 metres per second.
 Just a second (=wait a moment), I’ll come and help.
 At least 30 shots were fired in a matter of seconds (=in a very short time).
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· We had a fourth-floor apartment, and it was difficult going up and down all those stairs.
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
(also at the first/second etc attempt British English)· The car started at the second attempt.
· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
 United currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League.
(=one that is not new)· The company locates suitable new and used cars for buyers.
· In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
· The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
 in the closing years of his life
(=not new)· Charity shops sell second-hand clothes at low prices.
 She came first in the 200 metres.
 His horse came in second to last.
· Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
(=the level at which you pass a degree at a British university)· She was awarded a first-class degree.
· The second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.
(=the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year)· The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
· The first edition was published in 1986.
 The talks have now entered their third week.
 Re-apply your sunscreen every two hours.
 He finished second in the 100 metres, behind Ben Johnson.
· We’re moving into a first-floor flat.
 examinations taken in the fourth form
· The heavy traffic meant that we seldom got out of second gear.
· He put the car into gear, and they moved slowly forwards.
(=put the car into gear)· Nick struggled to engage first gear.
· Profits doubled in the first half of the year.
(=someone whose parents or grandparents were immigrants)· These boys are second-generation immigrants who grew up speaking English.
(=a more detailed interview after you have been successful in a previous interview)· She was asked back for a second interview.
(=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language.
(=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph
 He must be first in line for the editor’s job.
· She had two children from her first marriage.
 The motion was seconded (=formally supported) by Mr Levin.
· Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
· We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
· She won first prize in a poetry competition.
 in the last quarter of the 19th century
 The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
 The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
 I’m not going to settle for second best.
(=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else)
 Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens?
 second-hand accounts of mass killings
 We got most of our furniture second hand.
 It may not be true – I only heard it second hand.
(=in their first year, second year etc at college or university)· First-year students have an exam at the end of term.
(=the team with players who are not as good as those in the first team)· He stepped up from the second team when Roberts was injured.
 Woosnam and Lyle tied for fourth place on 264.
 The second tier of the programme is in-house training.
· This is his first try at directing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· Given any number, it takes her only a second to work out the combination of smaller numbers which add up to it.· The computation of probabilities took Jezrael only seconds.· Now there are only seconds between the sharp bends.· The van burst into flames, giving the two occupants only seconds to get out before it was engulfed.· By now, only seconds after the alarm had been raised, the fire was already well established along its full length.· She knew it was only seconds.· Donna had only seconds to appreciate its beauty; she had other things on her mind.· I was frightened, of course, but only for a second or two.
· Grant flung himself to one side ... but this time he was just a split second too late.· For a split second, Constance failed to realise that he had released his grip on her.· Unbelievably, for a split second, he was sure he saw a look of relief on the face of Nell Anderson.· In a split second of surprised immobility, Grant saw the deadly muzzle come to bear on him.· In that split second, as she and Benton fell from the train, Donna knew.· It occurred to him, in that split second, to let it fall.· The training officer lifted the phone, and the buzz in the room subsided in a split second.
NOUN
· Analysts are looking for full-year profits approaching £160m, after the important second half.· Arizona made 20 miscues against Oregon State, including a dozen in that sloppy second half.· He put in a superb second half, scored twice and Palace had to come home defeated by 2-3.· Between 1900 and 1910, more people migrated to the United States than in the entire second half of the nineteenth century.
VERB
· The witnesses would say later that the searingly brilliant white flash seemed to last for several seconds.· Ferguson lasted a little longer 17 seconds into the second round than Michael Dokes did in Bowe's first title defence last February.· He gave only one kind of sound, a grating, even-toned grunt that lasted about one second.· It lasted only ten seconds and it was at four in the morning when nobody was around.· Different films were again separated by a blue field lasting five seconds.· The drumroll lasts a second or two.
· He waited a few seconds then got into the car and started it up.· I guess so. Wait here a second.· His pursuer smiled grimly, and waited as many seconds as he dared before heaving himself over the wall with surprising agility.· I told myself to wait a second, get a better grip, try it again.· Up in the bows, one of the bureaucrats flashed a torch twice, waited five seconds and repeated the signal.· But wait, Walt, wait another second.· Apply it over the boards with a roller, wait a few seconds, then wipe it up with a clean cloth.· He waited for a few seconds, but the noise did not repeat itself.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
  • As in any second language situation, the grammatical code which is relied on is the one which is already known.
  • At any second, they would begin to breathe.
  • He had been ready to go at any second.
  • The barriers are so low you feel you could plunge off at any second.
  • The casualties of the greatest battle in history would be as nothing, before the carnage that might start at any second.
  • The room was unnaturally still about her, but the stillness might shatter at any second.
  • They were both breathing fast, and Polly's legs threatened to give way at any second.
  • We would be at the hot spot any second now.
  • Are you going back for seconds?
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► two points/five seconds etc adrift (of somebody)► the 10-second/40% etc barrier► another/a second bite at the cherry
  • But they remained second-class citizens as the Service restocked itself with young men of the right background from Oxford and Cambridge.
  • Here we are, second-class citizens in our own country.
  • One danger of treating all crime as sickness is that it makes the criminal a second-class citizen.
  • Private car-owners have become second-class citizens.
  • Some speak resentfully of a takeover by the Wessis, with themselves marked out for the role of second-class citizens.
  • They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.
  • We did not have a chance to mingle with Okinawansthey were considered second-class citizens.
  • Women were very definitely second-class citizens.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
► three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
  • Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
► not give something a second thought/another thought
  • Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
  • After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
  • I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
  • Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
  • Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
  • The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
  • The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
  • A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
  • Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
  • Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand, or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
  • The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
  • The leader takes a watch with a second hand, points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
  • The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
  • The story is now taken up at second hand.
  • There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
  • Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
  • Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
  • And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
  • Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
  • For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
  • I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
  • It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
  • It went dead for just a second.
  • Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
  • Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
  • After his win in Frankfurt on Sunday, he lies second in the series just behind Michel Robert.
  • Driving a Banbury prepared Prodrive Subaru, McRae now lies third in the championship.
► be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
  • Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
  • At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
  • But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
  • Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
  • It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
  • Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
  • More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
  • The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
  • But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
  • But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place.
  • In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
  • In the second place, it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
  • The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place.
  • There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place.
  • We never enjoyed them in the first place.
  • Why had they come to this country in the first place?
  • However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
  • However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
  • It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
  • Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
  • Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
  • Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
  • There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
  • Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
  • But it is unwise to assume that parents will inevitably pose a problem when they are placed first.
  • Fiona Burgess was placed second with Jenny Dwyer improving on past form to gain third position.
  • Inside the bracket the symbol of the central atom is placed first.
  • He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
  • But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
  • Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
  • He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
  • Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
  • She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
  • So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
  • The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
  • Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
  • All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
  • Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
  • It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
  • Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
  • Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
  • The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
  • The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
  • They have a poor third quarter.
► first-rate/second-rate/third-rate
  • I wanted two second-class tickets to Coimbra.
  • First-class and second-class mail should be put through the machine on separate runs.
  • The quantity relative for second-class stamps is 140.0, indicating an increase in numbers bought of 40%.
► second-degree burns
  • A 16-year-old black youth, Lemrick Nelson, was later charged with second-degree murder in relation to the stabbing.
  • After psychiatric evaluations found that he was competent to stand trial, Harwood pleaded guilty July 16 to second-degree murder.
  • Bach, 13, was arrested late last month and charged with second-degree murder.
  • Davis was arrested weeks later and convicted of second-degree assault.
  • He faces a count of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10 shooting death of Brad Hansen, also 13.
  • However, the degree of severity of the indictment, which could range from negligent homicide to second-degree murder, remains unclear.
  • Kravitz reduced the charge to second-degree murder.
  • Last week, she won her freedom after agreeing not to contest charges of second-degree murder.
► a split second► first-string/second-string etc
  • And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
  • And hey, wait a minute.
  • Beth, can it wait a minute?
  • But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
  • But wait a minute, what's this?
  • I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
  • They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
  • Ward waited a moment by the door.
  • By his second year, he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
  • Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
  • Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year.
  • He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
  • In her second year, she met Edgar Lintot.
  • Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
  • That first year, by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
1[countable] a unit for measuring time. There are 60 seconds in a minute:  Hold your breath for six seconds. The operation takes only 30 seconds. Ultrasonic waves travel at around 300 metres per second.within seconds (=after only a few seconds) Within seconds, Bev called back.2[countable] a very short period of time:  I’ll be back in a second. Just a second (=wait a moment), I’ll come and help. At least 30 shots were fired in a matter of seconds (=in a very short time). → split second3(at) any second (now) used to say that something will or may happen extremely soon:  He should be here any second.4seconds [plural] a)informal another serving of food, after you have eaten your first serving b)clothes or other goods that are cheaper than usual because they are not perfect → second hand15[countable] technical one of the 60 parts into which a minute of an angle is divided. It can be shown as a symbol after a number. For example, 78° 52′ 11″ means 78 degrees 52 minutes 11 seconds.6[countable] someone who helps someone in a fight, especially in boxing or, in the past, a duel7[uncountable] American English informal second base
second1 numbersecond2 nounsecond3 adverbsecond4 verbsecond5 verb
secondsecond3 /ˈsekənd/ ●●● S2 W2 adverb Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • But, second, in the vast majority of markets, efficient production can be attained with a high degree of competition.
Thesaurus
Longman Language Activatorto have a particular position in a competition, race, list etc
to be in a particular position in a competition, race, list etc: · The name Michael always ranks high on the list of the most popular boys' names.rank somebody as first/fourth/eighth etc: · Volleyball Monthly ranked the team third in the nation. rank first/fourth/eighth etc: · Connell, a Canadian ranked 73rd in the world, won the third set.· Second-ranked Stanford beat the University of San Diego 103-68.rank among/as etc: · Sandoz ranks as one of the 10 largest drug companies in the world.be ranked first/fifth etc: · She was beaten by someone who was ranked only 200th in the world.
also come first/second British to be first, second etc in a competition or race: · Sandoz won, and Anderson was second.be first/second etc in: · Michael Johnson came first in the 400m final.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
 I came second in the UK championships.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· We had a fourth-floor apartment, and it was difficult going up and down all those stairs.
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
(also at the first/second etc attempt British English)· The car started at the second attempt.
· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
 United currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League.
(=one that is not new)· The company locates suitable new and used cars for buyers.
· In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
· The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
 in the closing years of his life
(=not new)· Charity shops sell second-hand clothes at low prices.
 She came first in the 200 metres.
 His horse came in second to last.
· Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
(=the level at which you pass a degree at a British university)· She was awarded a first-class degree.
· The second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.
(=the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year)· The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
· The first edition was published in 1986.
 The talks have now entered their third week.
 Re-apply your sunscreen every two hours.
 He finished second in the 100 metres, behind Ben Johnson.
· We’re moving into a first-floor flat.
 examinations taken in the fourth form
· The heavy traffic meant that we seldom got out of second gear.
· He put the car into gear, and they moved slowly forwards.
(=put the car into gear)· Nick struggled to engage first gear.
· Profits doubled in the first half of the year.
(=someone whose parents or grandparents were immigrants)· These boys are second-generation immigrants who grew up speaking English.
(=a more detailed interview after you have been successful in a previous interview)· She was asked back for a second interview.
(=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language.
(=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph
 He must be first in line for the editor’s job.
· She had two children from her first marriage.
 The motion was seconded (=formally supported) by Mr Levin.
· Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
· We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
· She won first prize in a poetry competition.
 in the last quarter of the 19th century
 The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
 The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
 I’m not going to settle for second best.
(=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else)
 Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens?
 second-hand accounts of mass killings
 We got most of our furniture second hand.
 It may not be true – I only heard it second hand.
(=in their first year, second year etc at college or university)· First-year students have an exam at the end of term.
(=the team with players who are not as good as those in the first team)· He stepped up from the second team when Roberts was injured.
 Woosnam and Lyle tied for fourth place on 264.
 The second tier of the programme is in-house training.
· This is his first try at directing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
· The college confirmed that he came second.· The West Bank story came second.· Morgan Stanley Dean Witter came second.
· The United States, who finished second, were disqualified for an illegal changeover.· Milbrett finished second in scoring with 15 goals and nine assists for the U.S. women's team.· She made the Olympic team last week, then finished second in the 200 backstroke on Monday.· In the first event, he finished second.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► two points/five seconds etc adrift (of somebody)► the 10-second/40% etc barrier► another/a second bite at the cherry
  • But they remained second-class citizens as the Service restocked itself with young men of the right background from Oxford and Cambridge.
  • Here we are, second-class citizens in our own country.
  • One danger of treating all crime as sickness is that it makes the criminal a second-class citizen.
  • Private car-owners have become second-class citizens.
  • Some speak resentfully of a takeover by the Wessis, with themselves marked out for the role of second-class citizens.
  • They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.
  • We did not have a chance to mingle with Okinawansthey were considered second-class citizens.
  • Women were very definitely second-class citizens.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
► three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
  • Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
► not give something a second thought/another thought
  • Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
  • After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
  • I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
  • Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
  • Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
  • The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
  • The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
  • A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
  • Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
  • Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand, or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
  • The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
  • The leader takes a watch with a second hand, points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
  • The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
  • The story is now taken up at second hand.
  • There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
  • Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
  • Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
  • And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
  • Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
  • For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
  • I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
  • It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
  • It went dead for just a second.
  • Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
  • Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
  • After his win in Frankfurt on Sunday, he lies second in the series just behind Michel Robert.
  • Driving a Banbury prepared Prodrive Subaru, McRae now lies third in the championship.
► be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
  • Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
  • At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
  • But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
  • Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
  • It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
  • Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
  • More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
  • The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
  • But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
  • But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place.
  • In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
  • In the second place, it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
  • The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place.
  • There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place.
  • We never enjoyed them in the first place.
  • Why had they come to this country in the first place?
  • However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
  • However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
  • It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
  • Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
  • Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
  • Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
  • There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
  • Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
  • But it is unwise to assume that parents will inevitably pose a problem when they are placed first.
  • Fiona Burgess was placed second with Jenny Dwyer improving on past form to gain third position.
  • Inside the bracket the symbol of the central atom is placed first.
  • He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
  • But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
  • Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
  • He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
  • Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
  • She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
  • So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
  • The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
  • Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
  • All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
  • Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
  • It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
  • Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
  • Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
  • The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
  • The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
  • They have a poor third quarter.
► first-rate/second-rate/third-rate
  • I wanted two second-class tickets to Coimbra.
  • First-class and second-class mail should be put through the machine on separate runs.
  • The quantity relative for second-class stamps is 140.0, indicating an increase in numbers bought of 40%.
► second-degree burns
  • A 16-year-old black youth, Lemrick Nelson, was later charged with second-degree murder in relation to the stabbing.
  • After psychiatric evaluations found that he was competent to stand trial, Harwood pleaded guilty July 16 to second-degree murder.
  • Bach, 13, was arrested late last month and charged with second-degree murder.
  • Davis was arrested weeks later and convicted of second-degree assault.
  • He faces a count of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10 shooting death of Brad Hansen, also 13.
  • However, the degree of severity of the indictment, which could range from negligent homicide to second-degree murder, remains unclear.
  • Kravitz reduced the charge to second-degree murder.
  • Last week, she won her freedom after agreeing not to contest charges of second-degree murder.
► a split second► first-string/second-string etc
  • And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
  • And hey, wait a minute.
  • Beth, can it wait a minute?
  • But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
  • But wait a minute, what's this?
  • I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
  • They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
  • Ward waited a moment by the door.
  • By his second year, he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
  • Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
  • Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year.
  • He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
  • In her second year, she met Edgar Lintot.
  • Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
  • That first year, by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
1next after the first onecome/finish etc second I came second in the UK championships. Tea is the most popular drink, while coffee ranks second (=it is the second most popular drink).2[sentence adverb] used before you add information to what you have already said SYN  secondly
second1 numbersecond2 nounsecond3 adverbsecond4 verbsecond5 verb
secondsecond4 verb [transitive] Verb Table
VERB TABLE
second
Simple Form
PresentI, you, we, theysecond
he, she, itseconds
PastI, you, he, she, it, we, theyseconded
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave seconded
he, she, ithas seconded
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad seconded
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill second
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have seconded
Continuous Form
PresentIam seconding
he, she, itis seconding
you, we, theyare seconding
PastI, he, she, itwas seconding
you, we, theywere seconding
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave been seconding
he, she, ithas been seconding
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad been seconding
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill be seconding
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have been seconding
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • Alderman Keane nominated him and eighteen other committeemen made lengthy speeches seconding the nomination.
  • Mr Nichol has been seconded to the region for a special project, studying the effects of community care throughout the country.
  • These economic pressures were seconded by the intrusion of the state.
  • With Harman's blessing they were seconding her.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· We had a fourth-floor apartment, and it was difficult going up and down all those stairs.
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
(also at the first/second etc attempt British English)· The car started at the second attempt.
· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
 United currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League.
(=one that is not new)· The company locates suitable new and used cars for buyers.
· In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
· The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
 in the closing years of his life
(=not new)· Charity shops sell second-hand clothes at low prices.
 She came first in the 200 metres.
 His horse came in second to last.
· Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
(=the level at which you pass a degree at a British university)· She was awarded a first-class degree.
· The second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.
(=the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year)· The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
· The first edition was published in 1986.
 The talks have now entered their third week.
 Re-apply your sunscreen every two hours.
 He finished second in the 100 metres, behind Ben Johnson.
· We’re moving into a first-floor flat.
 examinations taken in the fourth form
· The heavy traffic meant that we seldom got out of second gear.
· He put the car into gear, and they moved slowly forwards.
(=put the car into gear)· Nick struggled to engage first gear.
· Profits doubled in the first half of the year.
(=someone whose parents or grandparents were immigrants)· These boys are second-generation immigrants who grew up speaking English.
(=a more detailed interview after you have been successful in a previous interview)· She was asked back for a second interview.
(=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language.
(=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph
 He must be first in line for the editor’s job.
· She had two children from her first marriage.
 The motion was seconded (=formally supported) by Mr Levin.
· Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
· We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
· She won first prize in a poetry competition.
 in the last quarter of the 19th century
 The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
 The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
 I’m not going to settle for second best.
(=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else)
 Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens?
 second-hand accounts of mass killings
 We got most of our furniture second hand.
 It may not be true – I only heard it second hand.
(=in their first year, second year etc at college or university)· First-year students have an exam at the end of term.
(=the team with players who are not as good as those in the first team)· He stepped up from the second team when Roberts was injured.
 Woosnam and Lyle tied for fourth place on 264.
 The second tier of the programme is in-house training.
· This is his first try at directing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
· He sat down to applause and was followed by H B Beale from Gloucestershire who seconded the motion.
· I was seconded to the staff of General Schwarzkopf.
VERB
· These were proposed by and seconded by and carried unanimously.· Names must be proposed and seconded.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► two points/five seconds etc adrift (of somebody)► the 10-second/40% etc barrier► another/a second bite at the cherry
  • But they remained second-class citizens as the Service restocked itself with young men of the right background from Oxford and Cambridge.
  • Here we are, second-class citizens in our own country.
  • One danger of treating all crime as sickness is that it makes the criminal a second-class citizen.
  • Private car-owners have become second-class citizens.
  • Some speak resentfully of a takeover by the Wessis, with themselves marked out for the role of second-class citizens.
  • They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.
  • We did not have a chance to mingle with Okinawansthey were considered second-class citizens.
  • Women were very definitely second-class citizens.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
► three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
  • Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
► not give something a second thought/another thought
  • Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
  • After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
  • I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
  • Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
  • Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
  • The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
  • The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
  • A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
  • Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
  • Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand, or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
  • The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
  • The leader takes a watch with a second hand, points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
  • The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
  • The story is now taken up at second hand.
  • There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
  • Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
  • Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
  • And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
  • Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
  • For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
  • I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
  • It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
  • It went dead for just a second.
  • Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
  • Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
  • After his win in Frankfurt on Sunday, he lies second in the series just behind Michel Robert.
  • Driving a Banbury prepared Prodrive Subaru, McRae now lies third in the championship.
► be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
  • Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
  • At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
  • But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
  • Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
  • It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
  • Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
  • More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
  • The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
  • But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
  • But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place.
  • In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
  • In the second place, it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
  • The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place.
  • There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place.
  • We never enjoyed them in the first place.
  • Why had they come to this country in the first place?
  • However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
  • However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
  • It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
  • Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
  • Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
  • Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
  • There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
  • Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
  • But it is unwise to assume that parents will inevitably pose a problem when they are placed first.
  • Fiona Burgess was placed second with Jenny Dwyer improving on past form to gain third position.
  • Inside the bracket the symbol of the central atom is placed first.
  • He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
  • But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
  • Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
  • He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
  • Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
  • She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
  • So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
  • The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
  • Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
  • All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
  • Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
  • It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
  • Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
  • Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
  • The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
  • The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
  • They have a poor third quarter.
► first-rate/second-rate/third-rate
  • I wanted two second-class tickets to Coimbra.
  • First-class and second-class mail should be put through the machine on separate runs.
  • The quantity relative for second-class stamps is 140.0, indicating an increase in numbers bought of 40%.
► second-degree burns
  • A 16-year-old black youth, Lemrick Nelson, was later charged with second-degree murder in relation to the stabbing.
  • After psychiatric evaluations found that he was competent to stand trial, Harwood pleaded guilty July 16 to second-degree murder.
  • Bach, 13, was arrested late last month and charged with second-degree murder.
  • Davis was arrested weeks later and convicted of second-degree assault.
  • He faces a count of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10 shooting death of Brad Hansen, also 13.
  • However, the degree of severity of the indictment, which could range from negligent homicide to second-degree murder, remains unclear.
  • Kravitz reduced the charge to second-degree murder.
  • Last week, she won her freedom after agreeing not to contest charges of second-degree murder.
► a split second► first-string/second-string etc
  • And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
  • And hey, wait a minute.
  • Beth, can it wait a minute?
  • But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
  • But wait a minute, what's this?
  • I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
  • They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
  • Ward waited a moment by the door.
  • By his second year, he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
  • Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
  • Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year.
  • He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
  • In her second year, she met Edgar Lintot.
  • Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
  • That first year, by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
 to formally support a suggestion made by another person in a meeting → proposesecond a motion/proposal/amendment etc
second1 numbersecond2 nounsecond3 adverbsecond4 verbsecond5 verb
secondse‧cond5 /sɪˈkɒnd $ -ˈkɑːnd/ verb [transitive] British English Verb Table
VERB TABLE
second
Simple Form
PresentI, you, we, theysecond
he, she, itseconds
PastI, you, he, she, it, we, theyseconded
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave seconded
he, she, ithas seconded
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad seconded
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill second
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have seconded
Continuous Form
PresentIam seconding
he, she, itis seconding
you, we, theyare seconding
PastI, he, she, itwas seconding
you, we, theywere seconding
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave been seconding
he, she, ithas been seconding
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad been seconding
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill be seconding
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have been seconding
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • A quieter but potentially important project is currently under way by Sir John Boreham who has been seconded from the government statistical office.
  • In addition to financial support, personnel are sometimes seconded to projects and charities.
  • My father works for an oil company and last summer he was seconded to their Texas headquarters for five years.
  • These economic pressures were seconded by the intrusion of the state.
  • With Harman's blessing they were seconding her.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· We had a fourth-floor apartment, and it was difficult going up and down all those stairs.
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
(also at the first/second etc attempt British English)· The car started at the second attempt.
· He was beaten into second place in the Monaco Grand Prix.
 United currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League.
(=one that is not new)· The company locates suitable new and used cars for buyers.
· In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
· The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
 in the closing years of his life
(=not new)· Charity shops sell second-hand clothes at low prices.
 She came first in the 200 metres.
 His horse came in second to last.
· Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
(=the level at which you pass a degree at a British university)· She was awarded a first-class degree.
· The second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.
(=the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year)· The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
· The first edition was published in 1986.
 The talks have now entered their third week.
 Re-apply your sunscreen every two hours.
 He finished second in the 100 metres, behind Ben Johnson.
· We’re moving into a first-floor flat.
 examinations taken in the fourth form
· The heavy traffic meant that we seldom got out of second gear.
· He put the car into gear, and they moved slowly forwards.
(=put the car into gear)· Nick struggled to engage first gear.
· Profits doubled in the first half of the year.
(=someone whose parents or grandparents were immigrants)· These boys are second-generation immigrants who grew up speaking English.
(=a more detailed interview after you have been successful in a previous interview)· She was asked back for a second interview.
(=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language.
(=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph
 He must be first in line for the editor’s job.
· She had two children from her first marriage.
 The motion was seconded (=formally supported) by Mr Levin.
· Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
· We knew we only had a few more precious hours together.
· She won first prize in a poetry competition.
 in the last quarter of the 19th century
 The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
 The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
 I’m not going to settle for second best.
(=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else)
 Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens?
 second-hand accounts of mass killings
 We got most of our furniture second hand.
 It may not be true – I only heard it second hand.
(=in their first year, second year etc at college or university)· First-year students have an exam at the end of term.
(=the team with players who are not as good as those in the first team)· He stepped up from the second team when Roberts was injured.
 Woosnam and Lyle tied for fourth place on 264.
 The second tier of the programme is in-house training.
· This is his first try at directing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
· I was seconded to the staff of General Schwarzkopf.
VERB
· These were proposed by and seconded by and carried unanimously.· Names must be proposed and seconded.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► two points/five seconds etc adrift (of somebody)► the 10-second/40% etc barrier► another/a second bite at the cherry
  • But they remained second-class citizens as the Service restocked itself with young men of the right background from Oxford and Cambridge.
  • Here we are, second-class citizens in our own country.
  • One danger of treating all crime as sickness is that it makes the criminal a second-class citizen.
  • Private car-owners have become second-class citizens.
  • Some speak resentfully of a takeover by the Wessis, with themselves marked out for the role of second-class citizens.
  • They want to treat all Arabs as slaves and second-class citizens.
  • We did not have a chance to mingle with Okinawansthey were considered second-class citizens.
  • Women were very definitely second-class citizens.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
  • And, in the dying seconds, Miklosko blocked Smillie's close-range effort.
  • Hereford usually crack or collapse in the dying minutes.
  • In the dying minutes, full-back, Paul Bodin burst through.
  • Jason Chandler made certain in the dying minutes of the game, Good Sports winning 2-1.
  • One moment of astonishing creativity in the dying seconds on Saturday transported him to the centre of Arsenal's universe.
  • Sean Farrell popped in the opener and Danny Allsopp made sure of the points in the dying seconds.
  • The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
► three minutes/ten seconds etc flat
  • Debbie is a sixth former at Abergele High School.
► not give something a second thought/another thought
  • Add bean sprouts and cook another half minute.
  • After one and a half minutes the aircraft began to overshoot, correctly making an initial turn to the west.
  • I pulled to the curb for half a minute.
  • Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute.
  • Report repeated two and a half second ticking sounds from plane.
  • The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished.
  • The fireball that came with the flash lasted for half a second and enveloped the whole stumbling figure.
  • A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.
  • Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.
  • Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand, or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.
  • The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.
  • The leader takes a watch with a second hand, points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.
  • The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.
  • The story is now taken up at second hand.
  • There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.
  • Just a minute, that's not what she told us.
  • Just a minute. Let me see if he's here.
  • And he had deliberately caught his flight with just minutes to spare.
  • Aronoff, who asked to be arraigned today, appeared before the media for just minutes Thursday to read a brief statement.
  • For just a moment there, tournament golf had taken its toll: Saavedra had lost the head.
  • I wan na wait, wait, wait just a second.
  • It takes just a second: One car plows into another and the backup begins.
  • It went dead for just a second.
  • Let's continue the story for just a moment in a ridiculous way.
  • Neighbours pulled her to safety just minutes before flames took hold.
  • After his win in Frankfurt on Sunday, he lies second in the series just behind Michel Robert.
  • Driving a Banbury prepared Prodrive Subaru, McRae now lies third in the championship.
► be first/second/next etc in line to the throne
  • Already we read that within a matter of weeks the number of the believers was 120.
  • At least 30 rounds went off in a matter of seconds.
  • But these days, the time between orders and shipments has shrunk to a matter of weeks.
  • Hay says that Sarin would normally degrade in an open environment in a matter of hours.
  • It seemed to the rector that it all happened within a matter of seconds.
  • Many other soy sauces are chemically produced in a matter of hours.
  • More to the point, he prevailed on Amelia to write the text in a matter of weeks.
  • The new cabinet and other ministerial appointments are announced within a matter of days, sometimes within a matter of hours.
  • But I think I got into drama professionally in the first place by accident.
  • But it's even more of a comfort for baby if he doesn't get wind in the first place.
  • In the opening 250 race Robert Dunlop stayed well clear of a hectic battle for second place behind him.
  • In the second place, it involves some intention to maintain that control on the part of the possessor.
  • The firm which supplied the scaffold blames the boy's parents for letting him play there in the first place.
  • There is almost a tinge of predestination in footballers' reflections on how they came to sport in the first place.
  • We never enjoyed them in the first place.
  • Why had they come to this country in the first place?
  • However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
  • However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
  • It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
  • Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
  • Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
  • Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
  • There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
  • Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
  • But it is unwise to assume that parents will inevitably pose a problem when they are placed first.
  • Fiona Burgess was placed second with Jenny Dwyer improving on past form to gain third position.
  • Inside the bracket the symbol of the central atom is placed first.
  • He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
  • But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
  • Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
  • He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
  • Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
  • She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
  • So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
  • The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
  • Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
  • All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.
  • Food was taking a poor second on my diet sheet this evening.
  • It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.
  • Peter hit a poor drive and a poor second, to the right of a nasty greenside bunker.
  • Saturn is a poor third, and Jupiter is dead last.
  • The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.
  • The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%.
  • They have a poor third quarter.
► first-rate/second-rate/third-rate
  • I wanted two second-class tickets to Coimbra.
  • First-class and second-class mail should be put through the machine on separate runs.
  • The quantity relative for second-class stamps is 140.0, indicating an increase in numbers bought of 40%.
► second-degree burns
  • A 16-year-old black youth, Lemrick Nelson, was later charged with second-degree murder in relation to the stabbing.
  • After psychiatric evaluations found that he was competent to stand trial, Harwood pleaded guilty July 16 to second-degree murder.
  • Bach, 13, was arrested late last month and charged with second-degree murder.
  • Davis was arrested weeks later and convicted of second-degree assault.
  • He faces a count of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10 shooting death of Brad Hansen, also 13.
  • However, the degree of severity of the indictment, which could range from negligent homicide to second-degree murder, remains unclear.
  • Kravitz reduced the charge to second-degree murder.
  • Last week, she won her freedom after agreeing not to contest charges of second-degree murder.
► a split second► first-string/second-string etc
  • And wait a minute ... Sage Derby.
  • And hey, wait a minute.
  • Beth, can it wait a minute?
  • But wait a minute! - Wasn't that blood?
  • But wait a minute, what's this?
  • I rounded the corner, then stopped, waited a moment and peeked back into the lobby.
  • They come back, you know, if I wait a minute.
  • Ward waited a moment by the door.
  • By his second year, he said, nearly 30 schools were sending him letters.
  • Early in the first year his behaviour pattern was showing dips and troughs.
  • Everything about it has helped me to grapple with the intricacies of machine knitting in this, my second year.
  • He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.
  • In her second year, she met Edgar Lintot.
  • Oryx Energy, like Melville, made the list for a second year in a row.
  • That first year, by happy accident, the itinerary was set for every ride that has followed.
 to send someone to do someone else’s job for a short timebe seconded to something Jill’s been seconded to the marketing department while Dave’s away.GRAMMAR Second is usually passive. → secondment
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更新时间：2024/12/22 19:04:46