second banana

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of second banana¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Idioms and Phrases

see under top banana.

Example Sentences

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

Read more on Salon

Foster’s Bonnie may be second banana, but she engenders real compassion when she asserts herself letting viewers in on her life even if Diana is blind to Bonnie’s desires.

Read more on Salon

I asked as I peeled my second banana.

Read more on Literature

The renovation offered the museum an opportunity to “give the David some competition” by better showcasing other pieces in the collection that often end up playing second banana to Michelangelo’s masterpiece, Ms. Hollberg said.

Read more on New York Times

“It worked out that he was second banana in a bunch of movies, and I think I’m perceived as that even though the dream is always to lead and not follow.”

Read more on New York Times