Jan 31, 2009 13:45
15 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
A long ten minutes, a long year, a short five minutes, etc...
Non-PRO
English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English colloquialisms
(Stones' Sympathy for the Devil) (...) Yeah, I've been around for a long, long year(...)/// waited for a short five minutes...///
Change log
Jan 31, 2009 13:53: Tony M changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Responses
+7
11 mins
Selected
the speaker's personal perception.
Minutes/ hours/ years can feel long or short, depending on the situation, or the person's perception.
For example, a minute's silence in a conversation between two people can feel like a very long minute, while as we know, time flies when you're having fun.
:-)
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Note added at 12 mins (2009-01-31 13:57:36 GMT)
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So "I've been around for a long, long year" means that the speaker has been around for a year, but that the events of that year makes it seem to him like an eternity.
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Note added at 1 day2 hrs (2009-02-01 15:56:11 GMT)
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Please take note of Sheila and Tina's comments below.
:-)
For example, a minute's silence in a conversation between two people can feel like a very long minute, while as we know, time flies when you're having fun.
:-)
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Note added at 12 mins (2009-01-31 13:57:36 GMT)
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So "I've been around for a long, long year" means that the speaker has been around for a year, but that the events of that year makes it seem to him like an eternity.
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Note added at 1 day2 hrs (2009-02-01 15:56:11 GMT)
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Please take note of Sheila and Tina's comments below.
:-)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+3
12 mins
seemed as if it lasted longer than it actually did
Usually, people say this when the time felt as if it had passed slowly (perhaps they had endless work to do, or were bored...)
In the case of a shorter period of time, like minutes, it can sometimes be meant more literally: "that was a long 10-minute coffee-break!" — implying it was perhaps more like 15 minutes. clearly this couldn't really usually be applied to 'year', since 'a year' is 'a year'...
'short', on the other hand means the opposite: the time seemd to fly by (perhaps we were enjoying ourselves, or the work was going well...). Likewise, can also have a literal meaning: "You said you'd be back to pick us up in 5 minutes, but that was a very short 5 minutes, we're not ready yet!" — suggesting it was maybe only 3 minutes.
It's all about perceived time, and how that corresponds — or doesn't — to actual time.
In the case of a shorter period of time, like minutes, it can sometimes be meant more literally: "that was a long 10-minute coffee-break!" — implying it was perhaps more like 15 minutes. clearly this couldn't really usually be applied to 'year', since 'a year' is 'a year'...
'short', on the other hand means the opposite: the time seemd to fly by (perhaps we were enjoying ourselves, or the work was going well...). Likewise, can also have a literal meaning: "You said you'd be back to pick us up in 5 minutes, but that was a very short 5 minutes, we're not ready yet!" — suggesting it was maybe only 3 minutes.
It's all about perceived time, and how that corresponds — or doesn't — to actual time.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Egil Presttun
1 hr
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Thanks, Egil!
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| agree |
sueaberwoman
: Hmmm...between 11 and 12 minutes... it seems our proz colleagues see that minute as an eternity, since no one has bothered to agree with you as well! ;o)
1 hr
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Thanks, Sue! ;-))
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| agree |
Ken Cox
: This is all idomatic usage, and it's difficult to describe all the possible meanings -- as a native speaker, you learn them from experience.
1 day 17 mins
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Thanks, ken! Indeed, yes, it's all about native insitinct and 'feel', and there are many nuances of meaning
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