A second wind is a new burst of energy when you're nearly worn out, so you can keep going: After a short break, I got a second wind and finished sorting the boxes. It's not only about running: you can get one at work, while studying or in a long rehearsal. Wind sounds like the weather word [wɪnd], not like the verb wind up.
When would you say a second wind?
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get / find a second wind; get your second wind
- After a short break, I got a second wind and finished sorting the boxes.
- The choir found its second wind during the final song.
- She was ready to stop writing, but an interesting idea gave her a second wind.
What changed
First versionAfter lunch, the team found a second breath.
RevisionAfter lunch, the team found a second wind.
Energy comes with breathing, so second breath seems like the logical way to say it. But the idiom uses wind in its old sense of breath, as in be winded, out of breath. Replace breath with wind, and the phrase is recognisable.
A new lease of life is a renewal that lasts, for a person, an object or a project. A second wind is a burst of energy in the middle of something, when you were running out. A boost of energy is any lift, even if you weren't tired before.
Your turn
I was tired, but the applause gave me a second ___.
Show the answer
wind — The fixed phrase is a second wind. A second breath sounds logical but isn't said.
Describe a moment you got a second wind: on a run, while studying or at the end of a workday. Use a second wind.
I got a second wind after a cup of tea and finished arranging the bookshelves.
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