second banana
Americannoun
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a comic who supports the leading comedian, often as a straight man, especially in burlesque or vaudeville.
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any person who plays a secondary role or serves in a subsidiary capacity.
Etymology
Origin of second banana
First recorded in 1950–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Gustern might have thought of herself as a helpmeet or second banana, but her students didn’t see her that way.
From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2022
In one scene, efforts are made to placate bruised second banana Desi with an executive producer credit for "I Love Lucy."
From Salon • Jan. 2, 2022
Vance famously resented having to play Ethel as a frumpy, overweight second banana, a resentment that we see Lucy stoking here in a particularly petty way.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2021
A second banana was the second most important person in an organization.
From Washington Post • Jul. 4, 2021
As a second banana shoe burp-squeaked onto the floor, Kyle looked up and there he was—Mr. Lemoncello!
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
