play second fiddle
English edit
Etymology edit
From the second violin in an orchestra.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb edit
play second fiddle (third-person singular simple present plays second fiddle, present participle playing second fiddle, simple past and past participle played second fiddle)
- (idiomatic, intransitive) To play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something else.
- 1913, Ethel Carnie, Miss Nobody, page 68:
- She had been mistress of the farm so long that it would be hard for her to play second fiddle, but give her time and she'd be as good as new butter and as nice as ninepence, he said.
- 2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian[1]:
- Christmas queen Mary Berry's aubergine five-nut roast, from her Christmas Collection, is, as the name suggests, rather more focused on the nut side of things. Breadcrumbs play second fiddle to a medley of almonds, Brazils, chestnuts, pine nuts and pistachios which, although tangy with lemon juice and garlic, is outrageously dense. A single slice of this could leave you supine in front of the Queen's speech without even the wherewithal to reach for the remote control.
Translations edit
idiomatic
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