meaning of second in this conversation

[patrick109]

Hi, I need help from native american english speakers :) It´s about the following conversation: Me: Is this Mr. X? Person from USA: "I saw your picture and I could tell from the second I saw it it´s not Mr. X." Me: What you mean with "second I saw"? Person from USA: It´s an expression Person from USA: Like a second What does "second" mean now? a) He saw it on the very first picture in the first moment, so second = time second / moment b) He saw it on the second picture As I cant contact the person anymore I need your help. There can also be typing errors due to auto-correction and so on.

[mystics]

In this case, it is being used in place of "instant". Remember that "second" is the smallest unit of time most people would think about on a day-to-day basis, and it is the smallest measure of time clocks keep noticeable track of.* So the person is saying that there is no smaller unit of time to express how quickly they recognized something. It is basically the same as saying, "..the instant I saw..."

*There are other meanings of "second", but this is the relevant one.

[coldraven]

You could also say "The moment I saw the photo I knew it was not Mr.X".

moment ~ noun common
1. a particular point in time
the moment he arrived the party began
2. an indefinitely short time
wait just a moment; in a mo; it only takes a minute; in just a bit
3. at this time
the disappointments of the here and now; she is studying at the moment
4. having important effects or influence
decisions of great consequence are made by the president himself; virtue is of more moment than security; that result is of no consequence
5. a turning force produced by an object acting at a distance (or a measure of that force)
6. the n-th moment of a distribution is the expected value of the n-th power of the deviations from a fixed value

[grahammechanical]

He also means that he is not in any doubt that the picture is not a picture of Mr X. You asked: Is this a picture of Mr X? And the person you are talking to replies: "From the second or moment or instant or as soon as I saw the picture I knew it was not Mr X." There is no doubt in his mind.

If he had said: "It is not Mr X." You would have asked: "Are you sure?" And he may have replied: "From the first second in time that I saw the picture I knew it was not a picture of Mr X." He might also have added: "I did not need to look at any other pictures. I knew straight away that is was not him." And you would have understood him.

"From the second I saw the picture" = "I knew straight away." = "I knew at once." = "I am in no doubt." = "I am convinced."

Regards.

[patrick109]

Thank you for your fast answers. And also his own explanations speak for the theory of second = moment here, right?
Person from USA: It´s an expression
Person from USA: Like a second

[patrick109]

? :)

[Lars Noodén]

And also his own explanations speak for the theory of second = moment here, right?


Yes. You could say,

just a second,
hang on a second
wait a second

as you could say

just a moment
etc.

or

just a minute
etc

but "a second" and "a minute" are somewhat relative so the latter means a bigger or more serious delay or objection.

And speaking of relative, a New York second is shorter than a regular second.

[mystics]

Thank you for your fast answers. And also his own explanations speak for the theory of second = moment here, right?
Person from USA: It´s an expression
Person from USA: Like a second

That might be what he is referencing. If it is, then he is referencing the fact that using "second" in place of "moment" is an expression. Otherwise, it might be a regional use of the word "second" that I've never heard of.

[patrick109]

And speaking of relative, a New York second is shorter than a regular second.

Thank you, but what does this quote about a New York second mean? Does it have anything to do with the answer? Im confused, sry.

[Lars Noodén]

"hang on a minute" means a bigger or more serious delay or objection is about to be voice than when you hear "hang on a second" because relatively speaking a second is shorter than a minute even though they are not being used as exact measurements in those idioms.

A third time measurement you might hear is a "New York second", which is taken to mean without delay at all, not even a small one.