Picked a few days

[Xinfu]

-Why no. You are as fresh as a daisy.
-One that's been picked a few days.

Do the red words mean one that has been being picked for a period of a few days?(=The process of being picked has lasted for a dew days.)

[Rusty]

They mean that the daisy was picked a few days ago.
In other words, not so fresh.

[Xinfu]

Originally Posted by Rusty

They mean that the daisy was picked a few days ago.
In other words, not so fresh.

Thank you. But do you mean

-One that's been picked a few days.

is the same as

-One that's been picked for a few days.
-One that was picked a few days ago.

If so, then do you think we can say?

-I've borrowed the book for a few days. (=I borrowed the book a few days ago.)
-The holiday has begun for a few days. (=It began a few days ago)

[Rusty]

No, you cannot use 'for a few days' in your last two sentences to mean 'a few days ago'.
You are giving information about how long you intend to borrow the book or how long the holiday will last.

You can pair 'for a few days' with 'has been picked', however, and mean the same thing as 'a few days'. You can also use 'a few days ago'.

[Xinfu]

Originally Posted by Rusty

You can pair 'for a few days' with 'has been picked', however, and mean the same thing as 'a few days'. You can also use 'a few days ago'.

Thank you. I know that sometimes explanations are difficult to find, but I still would like to ask, do you think the verb PICK itself has some inherent force that allows it to be used in this way? As far as I know, when we say

- have done (or any verb) + for + period

, it means, or usually would mean, that the doing of this thing has lasted for a time indicated by the 'period'. I thought 'pick' was not a continuous verb, and the picking of a flower for a several-day period was absurd. What sanctions 'pick' in this special usage?

[poli]

Picked would be no different from harvested or gathered or gleaned or selected. All these verbs would be used the same way.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Xinfu

... do you think the verb PICK itself has some inherent force that allows it to be used in this way? As far as I know, when we say

- have done (or any verb) + for + period

it means, or usually would mean, that the doing of this thing has lasted for a time indicated by the 'period'. I thought 'pick' was not a continuous verb, and the picking of a flower for a several-day period was absurd. What sanctions 'pick' in this special usage?

This question is different than your original question.

'Has been picked a few days', when added to the familiar expression 'to be fresh as a daisy', is a way to say that the daisy was picked a few days ago. The action happened. It is not continuous.
That is the only meaning the original sentence has.

However, something that has been picked may also refer to a continuous action.
"The field has been picked clean every day for a week."
"The cotton has been picked daily since the start of the month."
Picking, harvesting and gathering can happen over a period of time.

"They harvested a few days." (The harvesting lasted more than a day.)
"They harvested for a few days." (The harvesting lasted more than a day.)

Or we can limit the period, like your original sentence did. Then it describes a past action.
"They harvested a few days ago." (The harvesting ended more than a day ago.)
"It has been harvested." (The harvesting ended.)
"It has been picked." (The picking ended.)

"A daisy that has been picked a few days." (The picking of the flower ended more than a day ago.)
= one that's been picked a few days

"The daisy has been picked.
-How long ago was it picked?
-A few days (ago)."

"The daisy has been picked.
-(For) how long has it been picked?
-(For) a few days."