second banana

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a comic who supports the leading comedian, often as a straight man, especially in burlesque or vaudeville.

2. any person who plays a secondary role or serves in a subsidiary capacity.

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second banana Idioms  

1. see under top banana.

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Etymology

Origin of second banana

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

second banana

This time, monsters and mayhem play second banana to the people experiencing them, and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” revels in showing us what that looks like.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2024

If the film helps people think of Ridgeley as less of a second banana, he certainly won’t mind, though either way, he’ll have the last laugh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

It helps that Reginald is played by Jacob Batalon, who is as endearingly puppy-doggish and spunky here as he is playing second banana in the most recent “Spider-Man” movies.

From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022

A second banana was the second most important person in an organization.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2021

I did the same with the second banana.

From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart