second fiddle
Use Second fiddle in a sentencesecond fiddle
noun
1.
a secondary role: to play second fiddle to another person.
2.
a person serving in a subsidiary capacity, especially to one immediately superior.
Origin:
1825–35
1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To second fiddle
Collins
World English Dictionary
| second fiddle | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. the second violin in a string quartet or one of the second violins in an orchestra |
| b. the musical part assigned to such an instrument | |
| 2. | a secondary status |
| 3. | a person who has a secondary status |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Second fiddle
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Slang Dictionary
second fiddle definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
But here his role is limited, too often leaving him playing second fiddle to this film's weirdly hypnotic special effects.
They've certainly been second fiddle to the warlords' armies.
Newcomers don't play second fiddle to the genre's.
But one thing that strikes me is that my smartness seems to play second fiddle.
Idioms & Phrases
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