Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a second helping of food or similar; ext. to thirds.

1792		D. O’Connell letter 14 Sept. in Fitzpatrick Correspondence of D. O’Connell (1888) 6: We get very small portions at dinner; most of the lads [...] get what they call seconds, that is, a second portion every day.
1917		A.G. Empey Over the Top 36: We had ‘seconds,’ or another helping, because three of the men had ‘gone West’.
1927		(con. 1918) J.W. Thomason Red Pants 186: Lay offa Bozo, you low moocher – I got seconds on that butt myself.
1960		(con. WWII) G. Sire Deathmakers 48: Old chow-hound Nicholson [...] He won’t be standing in any more chow lines for seconds.
1968		P. Terson Apprentices (1970) I i: There were seconds of semolina and jam.
1987		(con. 1968) Bunch & Cole Reckoning for Kings (1989) 296: I’m gonna have thirds.
1987		Beano Comic Library No. 121 52: Seconds! Yummy!
2002		J. Franzen Corrections 259: I know who not to ask if they want seconds.

2. opium residue; used fig. to imply that a speaker is talking nonsense, fantasizing.

1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 257: I figured this to be pipe talk at first, but [...] I could see that this man was too solid to be a smoker of seconds.
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 97: The duty’s been lowered on the first-class brand of dope. Why smoke seconds?
1910		Truth (Perth) 9 Apr. 8/8: And when they have caught the craving / [...] / Common stuff is handed over, / ‘Seconds’ as they calls the grade.

3. (US gambling) the second card in the deck, usu. as deal seconds; second dealer, an expert in this form of cheating.

1894		Mirror of Life 12 May 14/4: A ‘second dealer’ is a man who can deal cards from any part of the pack without detection, so that, previous to the players drawing cards, he skilfully slips his thumb along the bottom of the pack and catches a glimpse of the cards to be dealt. If he sees anything he needs he can deal it to himself as easily as if it were ou the top of the deck.
1911		D. Runyon ‘The Man Who Can’t Go Back’ 2 Oct. [synd. col.] I’ve watched him dealing seconds in a Red Sea liner’s game.
2000		Gambling Forum Archive Apr. Digest 🌐 I do like the idea that someone can ask for a change at any given time (within reason), rather than having the deck automatically change at a pre-determined time. This at least makes me feel like I have some protection against a ‘hold-out artist’. If the cheater knows in advance when the deck changes, he can be sure to return all of his cards to the muck before the next change. But if the deck changes without notice after a hand has been completed, then a ‘hold-out artist’ may be stuck without returning the missing card(s).

4. (US) coffee brewed from used grounds.

1920		T.H. Kelly What Outfit, Buddy? 161: The coffee’s got sugar in it for a wonder. Make it fast or we’ll get nothin’ but seconds.
1931–4		D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 335/2: seconds, n. Coffee grounds which have been twice boiled for economy.

5. taking second (or later) place in an act of group sex (usu. forced); cit. 1972 refers to two men only.

1966		(con. 1958) R. Farina Been Down So Long (1972) 124: Unless of course you plan to fall by and watch, take seconds.
1972		C. Bukowski Erections, Ejaculations, etc. 392: I hate seconds but when firsts haven’t been for a time [...] like the boys say, seconds are better.
2000		M.E. Dassad ‘Chickenhawk’ at www.cultdeadcow.com 🌐 ‘Seconds’ doesn’t appeal to me, sticking my dick in some snatch that’s already filled with another guy’s jizz... gross!