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Remessa sem Saque
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Outro
Jul 26, 2021 17:34
2 yrs ago
27 viewers *
português term

amigo de segunda mão

português para inglês Outra Expressões/máximas/ditados Glossary
O amigo de segunda mão
Quando alguém nos apresenta uma outra pessoa, na suposição de que vamos nos dar bem, pode-se tratar de uma estratégia para se desembaraçar de ambos. O que pode ser algo bom: os amigos de segunda mão são melhores que os novos, que, como os automóveis, perdem 20% de seu valor logo após deixar o salão de exposições. -- https://issuu.com/revela/docs/revela250

Maybe a second-string friend?

Noun: a friend who is usually only called upon by a friend when a more primary/prominent friend is unavailable.
Taken from the term “second string” in an athletic competition situation. In football, if the star quarterback gets injured during a play, the second string is called off the bench to replace him/her. A “Second String Friend” is essentially benched until needed, if ever.
-- https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=b2b
Proposed translations (inglês)
4 +4 friend of a friend
5 secondary friend
5 (playing) second fiddle
4 +1 backup friend / spare tire friend
3 +1 backup friend
3 secondhand friend

Discussion

David Hollywood Aug 2, 2021:
oh dear Oliver is all I can say
David Hollywood Jul 28, 2021:
"friend of a friend" is standard idiomatic English
Oliver Simões (asker) Jul 27, 2021:
@All: Thank you for your comments and suggestions. As explained earlier, I decided not to include this idiom in my idiomatic glossary, the reason being that it's not well-known or even understood by some native speakers.
Mark Robertson Jul 27, 2021:
@All The distinguishing features of this friend are that he/she:

1. Is introduced to us by someone (who is not necessarily a friend?);
2. Is better than a new friend.

None of the proposed answers reflect this, although I could do no better.

The car analogy suggests that this friend has been tried and tested by someone else and is, for that reason, better than a new friend, who is necessarily an unknown quantity? Like a horse, this friend has already been broken in.
David Hollywood Jul 27, 2021:
think about it
David Hollywood Jul 27, 2021:
just means friend of a friend
Muriel Vasconcellos Jul 27, 2021:
@Oliver I think that's a good idea. Even in English, I found several different definitions of 'backup friend'. I only posted the ones that were most consistent.
Oliver Simões (asker) Jul 26, 2021:
To all, Thank you for your responses and comments. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be a common expression in Brazil. I checked with five different friends and they said they never heard it, and neither did I. I had them guess a meaning, and they all came up with something different from one another. I only found two sources online in my subsequent research. For this reason, I decided not to include this expression in the glossary. It would be meaningless to include something that people cannot relate to.
Muriel Vasconcellos Jul 26, 2021:
Sorry! I duplicated Katarina's answer by accident. See my additional definitions.
Oliver Simões (asker) Jul 26, 2021:
Barbara, Thank you. I'm trying to put my finger on the original meaning, but there are not many references.

I found this in a video: "Procura-se um amigo de segunda mão, pois não precisa ser puro, nem tão impuro, mas que seja leal e verdadeiro." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecdtR0UNyL8

And this one:
"Fui com um amigo de segunda mão assistir a alguma coisa no cinema aqui perto de casa." https://estivador.wordpress.com

There are also a few examples alluding to borrowing stuff from one's "amigo de segunda mão". It turns out that the thing borrowed was second-hand, not the friend. :-)
Barbara Cochran, MFA Jul 26, 2021:
a friend who's always in the wings (at a remove), waiting to be called on

Proposed translations

23 minutos

secondhand friend

Note from asker:
Thank you, Claudio. It sounds like your translation is very much in line with the original definition.
Something went wrong...
43 minutos

secondary friend

The following reference seems to point exactly to what you refer to in your question:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Secondary Fr...


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Note added at 50 mins (2021-07-26 18:24:30 GMT)
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https://www.definder.net/secondary_friend/
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1 hora

(playing) second fiddle

(playing) second fiddle
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+1
15 minutos

backup friend / spare tire friend

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spare tyre f...
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Backup frien...

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Note added at 1 hr (2021-07-26 18:51:22 GMT)
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Yes, they have the same meaning, it's your choice.
Note from asker:
Thank you, Katarina. It looks like "spare tire friend" and "second-string friend" are very close in meaning. That's the impression I got from reading both definitions on the page you referenced. What do you think?
Peer comment(s):
agree Muriel Vasconcellos : Oops! I didn't see your suggestion, Katarina. I'm leaving my answer because it includes some definitions.
2 horas
Thanks Muriel, but it looks like we were a bit off track...
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+1
2 horas

backup friend

Based on your explanation, this solution seems to make sense.

Definitions:

http://meaning127.com › Backup-friend
Backup friend meaning and definition · A person who is someone you know and are "friends" with, but isnt treated like a friend. · an acquaintance that is only ...

Define
https://slangdefine.org › backup-friend-e72
A person who is someone you know and are "friends" with, but isnt treated like a friend. You are treated like an acquaintence. This is a person one only talks to when their actual friends are away.

Examples:

A Few Confessions From Your Backup Friendhttps://www.theodysseyonline.com › Relationships
Oct 15, 2018 — **A Few Confessions From The Backup Friend. I just hope you know this friendship is not going to last forever** and there will come a day when you ..

NerdTests.com Quiz: Are you the backup friend?
https://www.nerdtests.com › uttake
**Some people have plenty of friends, but feel left out. Are you the backup friend?** Take this test to find out!


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Note added at 2 hrs (2021-07-26 20:06:16 GMT)
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Sorry! I didn't see Katarina's answer. These definitions confirm her suggestion, so I'm leaving my answer here.
Peer comment(s):
agree Katarina Peters : No problem, Muriel, we both chose the same idea, which you are backing up :))
29 minutos
:)
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+4
8 horas

friend of a friend

In sociology, a friend of a friend is a human contact that exists because of a mutual friend. Person C is a friend of a friend of person A when there is a person B that is a friend of both A and C. Thus the human relation "friend of a friend" is a compound relation among friends, similar to the uncle and aunt relations of kinship. Though friendship is a reciprocal relation, the relation of a friend of a friend may not be a friendship, though it holds potential for coalition building and dissemination of information.
Peer comment(s):
agree Douglas Bissell
5 horas
agree Jack Martin : the only one of the above that I use and hear used on a regular basis
11 horas
agree Katarina Peters : makes sense
19 horas
agree Nick Taylor
1 dia 6 horas
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