Well, darling, when someone says it's "ten past one," they're telling you the time is 1:10. The hour hand is pointing to the 1, and the minute hand is 2 marks past the 12. It's not rocket science, just a fancy way of saying it's early in the afternoon.
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In the context of telling time, "ten past one" refers to 1:10 on a clock. The term "past" indicates that the minute hand has moved beyond the 12 o'clock position by ten minutes. This is a common way to describe time in English-speaking countries.