at second hand

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ænd

Prepositional phrase

at second hand

1. By an intermediary or by indirect means; usually relating to something heard, by hearsay.
   • September 8 2022, Stephen Bates, “Queen Elizabeth II obituary”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Even devoted monarchists knew of her only at second hand, as a cipher, a still, small, largely silent, smiling figure, bound by her sense of duty and service, surrounded by turmoil and hubbub.

Synonyms

• indirectly

See also

• firsthand
• hearsay
• horse's mouth

References

• “at second hand”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “at second hand”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “at second hand”, in Collins English Dictionary.