play second fiddle en · VERB
Pronunciation
Etymology
From the second violin in an orchestra.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, intransitive) To play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something else.
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.
2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian: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.
1913, Ethel Carnie, Miss Nobody, page 68:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| played second fiddle | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| played second fiddle | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| playing second fiddle | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| plays second fiddle | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (10)
de die zweite Geige spielen (idiomatic) · sl igrati drugo violino (idiomatic) · fi jäädä toiseksi (idiomatic) · is vera lægra settur (idiomatic) · pl grać drugie skrzypce (idiomatic) · nb spille annenfiolin (idiomatic) · sk hrať druhé husle (idiomatic) · is vinna skítverkin (idiomatic) · is mega sín minna (idiomatic) · is leika aukahlutverk (idiomatic)