"second fiddle" meaning in English

See second fiddle in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-second fiddle.ogg [Australia] Forms: second fiddles [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} second fiddle (plural second fiddles)
  1. (music) A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle. Categories (topical): Music, People Translations (music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle): toinen viulu (Finnish), second violon [masculine] (French), secondo violino [masculine] (Italian), annenfiolin [masculine] (Norwegian), andrefiolin [masculine] (Norwegian), drugie skrzypce [masculine, plural] (Polish), втора́я скри́пка (vtorája skrípka) [feminine] (Russian), вто́ра (vtóra) [feminine] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-second_fiddle-en-noun-xb8kWJJq Disambiguation of People: 52 24 24 Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music Disambiguation of 'music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle': 78 16 6
  2. (music) The person playing second fiddle. Categories (topical): Music Related terms: fiddle, first fiddle, lead fiddle, play second fiddle, second banana, second violin Translations (music: person playing second fiddle): toinen viulu (Finnish), second violon [masculine] (French), secondo violino [masculine] (Italian), annenfiolin [masculine] (Norwegian), andrefiolin [masculine] (Norwegian), drugie skrzypce [masculine, plural] (Polish), втора́я скри́пка (vtorája skrípka) [feminine] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-second_fiddle-en-noun-RvShndJr Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 7 80 12 Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music Disambiguation of 'music: person playing second fiddle': 16 67 17
  3. (idiomatic) A sidekick or subordinate, or the role of such a person. Tags: idiomatic Translations (sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person): apuri (Finnish), second couteau [masculine] (French), spalla [feminine] (Italian), secundae [feminine, plural] (Latin), annenfiolin [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), andrefiolin [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), втора́я скри́пка (vtorája skrípka) [feminine] (Russian), subordinado (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-second_fiddle-en-noun-WFFHj9wu Disambiguation of 'sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person': 7 15 77

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for second fiddle meaning in English (6.8kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "second fiddles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "second fiddle (plural second fiddles)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Music",
          "orig": "en:Music",
          "parents": [
            "Art",
            "Sound",
            "Culture",
            "Energy",
            "Society",
            "Nature",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 24 24",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The second fiddle on that tune is almost as hard as the first fiddle."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle."
      ],
      "id": "en-second_fiddle-en-noun-xb8kWJJq",
      "links": [
        [
          "music",
          "music"
        ],
        [
          "fiddle",
          "fiddle"
        ],
        [
          "harmony",
          "harmony"
        ],
        [
          "first fiddle",
          "first fiddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(music) A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "entertainment",
        "lifestyle",
        "music"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "word": "toinen viulu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "second violon"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "secondo violino"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "annenfiolin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "andrefiolin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "drugie skrzypce"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "vtorája skrípka",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "втора́я скри́пка"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "78 16 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "vtóra",
          "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "вто́ра"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Music",
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          "parents": [
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            "Sound",
            "Culture",
            "Energy",
            "Society",
            "Nature",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 80 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I've been second fiddle in that orchestra for ten years now."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The person playing second fiddle."
      ],
      "id": "en-second_fiddle-en-noun-RvShndJr",
      "links": [
        [
          "music",
          "music"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(music) The person playing second fiddle."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68 0",
          "word": "fiddle"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68 0",
          "word": "first fiddle"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68 0",
          "word": "lead fiddle"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68 0",
          "word": "play second fiddle"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68 0",
          "word": "second banana"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68 0",
          "word": "second violin"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "entertainment",
        "lifestyle",
        "music"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "word": "toinen viulu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "second violon"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "secondo violino"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "annenfiolin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "andrefiolin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "masculine",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "drugie skrzypce"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 67 17",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "vtorája skrípka",
          "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "втора́я скри́пка"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm tired of being your second fiddle!"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1987, Joyce Brandon, Lady and the Lawman, page 346",
          "text": "Listen, buttercup, you're damned good in bed. They don't come any better, but I'm really not interested in playing second fiddle to your camera or your young lovers.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A sidekick or subordinate, or the role of such a person."
      ],
      "id": "en-second_fiddle-en-noun-WFFHj9wu",
      "links": [
        [
          "sidekick",
          "sidekick"
        ],
        [
          "subordinate",
          "subordinate"
        ],
        [
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          "role"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A sidekick or subordinate, or the role of such a person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "word": "apuri"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "second couteau"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "spalla"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "secundae"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "annenfiolin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "andrefiolin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "vtorája skrípka",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "втора́я скри́пка"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "7 15 77",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
          "word": "subordinado"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-second fiddle.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/69/En-au-second_fiddle.ogg/En-au-second_fiddle.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/En-au-second_fiddle.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "second fiddle"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "Requests for review of German translations",
    "Requests for review of Swedish translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "second fiddles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "second fiddle (plural second fiddles)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "fiddle"
    },
    {
      "word": "first fiddle"
    },
    {
      "word": "lead fiddle"
    },
    {
      "word": "play second fiddle"
    },
    {
      "word": "second banana"
    },
    {
      "word": "second violin"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Music"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The second fiddle on that tune is almost as hard as the first fiddle."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "music",
          "music"
        ],
        [
          "fiddle",
          "fiddle"
        ],
        [
          "harmony",
          "harmony"
        ],
        [
          "first fiddle",
          "first fiddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(music) A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "entertainment",
        "lifestyle",
        "music"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Music"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I've been second fiddle in that orchestra for ten years now."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The person playing second fiddle."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "music",
          "music"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(music) The person playing second fiddle."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "entertainment",
        "lifestyle",
        "music"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm tired of being your second fiddle!"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1987, Joyce Brandon, Lady and the Lawman, page 346",
          "text": "Listen, buttercup, you're damned good in bed. They don't come any better, but I'm really not interested in playing second fiddle to your camera or your young lovers.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A sidekick or subordinate, or the role of such a person."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sidekick",
          "sidekick"
        ],
        [
          "subordinate",
          "subordinate"
        ],
        [
          "role",
          "role"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A sidekick or subordinate, or the role of such a person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-second fiddle.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/69/En-au-second_fiddle.ogg/En-au-second_fiddle.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/En-au-second_fiddle.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "word": "toinen viulu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "second violon"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "secondo violino"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "annenfiolin"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "andrefiolin"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "drugie skrzypce"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "vtorája skrípka",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "втора́я скри́пка"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "vtóra",
      "sense": "music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "вто́ра"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "word": "toinen viulu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "second violon"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "secondo violino"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "annenfiolin"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "andrefiolin"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "drugie skrzypce"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "vtorája skrípka",
      "sense": "music: person playing second fiddle",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "втора́я скри́пка"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "word": "apuri"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "second couteau"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "spalla"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "secundae"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "annenfiolin"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "andrefiolin"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "vtorája skrípka",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "втора́я скри́пка"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "sidekick or subordinate; the role of such a person",
      "word": "subordinado"
    }
  ],
  "word": "second fiddle"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-12 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (ae36afe and 304864d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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