banana

slang A very skimpy male bikini. I can't believe Albert insists on wearing a banana hammock to the beach—how embarrassing!

An action that results in an unforeseen and embarrassing mistake or problem. When Joe applied the latest software update, he had no idea what a banana skin it would be until after his company's entire network crashed.

offensive slang An ethnic slur for an American of Southeast Asian parentage or ancestry who adopts the speech, clothing, behavior, beliefs, and values typical of Caucasian Americans. The term refers to the idea that such a person is "yellow" (a common slur for the appearance of Southeast Asians) on the outside but "white" (Caucasian) on the inside. Primarily heard in US. You've turned into such a banana since you moved to Silicon Valley, David. Have you completely forgotten what it means to be Vietnamese? I was born in the US, yet I get called a "banana" for embracing the culture of the only country I know—it's so frustrating.

Superfluous, disingenuous, or nonsensical talk, especially that which is meant to flatter someone or exaggerate something. Look, I know I won't get past the first round of this tournament, so you can stop feeding me banana oil.

A small country, often led by a corrupt government, whose economy depends upon either one internally-produced commodity or the revenue generated by foreign companies or investors. The dictator's insistence that the tiny island nation double down on its dominate export has made it even more of a banana republic.

A stupid person. Did you see the guy who's wearing two different shoes? What a banana-head.

To be in a condition of perpetual uncertainty or instability; to be at risk of sudden, often calamitous change. I've managed to keep the company afloat, but it's felt like I've had one foot on a banana peel the whole time.

cliché Used to humorously indicate that one has noticed that the other person's penis is erect beneath his clothes. Things with phallic shapes, such as "banana," "gun," "cucumber," etc., are used between used between "a" and "in." A: "Hey, Jim. Say, is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?" B: "Oh, wow, that's embarrassing."

cliché Used to humorously indicate that one has noticed that the other person's penis is erect beneath his clothes. Things with phallic shapes, such as "banana," "gun," "cucumber," etc., are used between "a" and "in." A: "Hey, Jim. Say, is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" B: "Oh, wow, that's embarrassing."

humorous slang To depart or leave, especially at once or in a hurry. (A pun on "to split," a slang term meaning to leave or depart, and a "banana split," an ice-cream-based dessert featuring a banana halved lengthwise.) This carnival turned out to be really boring. Come on, let's make like a banana and split! A: "Where are Jeff and Sally?" B: "They needed to get home to feed the baby, so they made like a banana and split."

A derogatory phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be one banana short of a bunch. Every time Paul tells me about his latest conspiracy theory, I can't help thinking that he's one banana short of a bunch.

A problem, project, or task that requires little to no effort, expertise, or intelligence to solve or complete. Supposedly from the notion that a trained monkey could do what is required. A: "We have to add in some code so that users are able to remain logged into the website, even if they visit other pages." B: "No worries, that's a one-banana problem."

To make a silly, embarrassing, or avoidable mistake. They were completely dominating the game until the quarterback slipped on a banana peel and threw an interception, which allowed the momentum to shift in the opposing team's favor.

The person with the most authority, power, or influence in a group or organization. Primarily heard in US. When I was top banana of the business, I used to charge the most outrageous things to the company credit card. You'll only get a truthful answer if you manage to talk to one of the top bananas.

Nonsense, exaggerated flattery, as in I should be on television? Cut out the banana oil! The precise analogy in this idiom is not clear, unless it is to the fact that banana oil, a paint solvent and artificial flavoring agent, has no relation to the fruit other than that it smells like it. Possibly it is a variation on snake oil, a term for quack medicine that was extended to mean nonsense. [1920s]

see under top banana.

Also, top dog. The principal person in a group, organization, or undertaking, as in His plan was to be top banana within ten years, or Now that she's top dog you can't get hold of her at all. The first term comes from show business, where from the early 1900s it has signified the leading comedian (possibly the original allusion was to Frank Lebowitz, a burlesque comedian who used bananas in his act). It also gave rise to second banana, for a supporting actor, usually a straight man. Both were transferred to more general use in the second half of the 1900s, as in executive Peter Barton's statement, "There is a certain pain to being a second banana, but you have to have an ability to sublimate your ego," quoted in The New York Times, May 15, 1996. The variant, top dog, originated in sports in the late 1800s and signified the odds-on favorite or winner in a contest; it alludes to the dog who wins (comes out on top) in a dogfight.

If you call what someone says banana oil, you mean that it is only said to gain an advantage and is not sincere. All the things he said about her qualities of leadership were just banana oil.

COMMON If an important or famous person slips on a banana skin or slips on a banana peel, they say or do something that makes them look stupid and causes them problems. Most of the nation would enjoy seeing mighty Manchester United slip on a banana skin in front of millions. You can be walking across Westminster Bridge full of noble thoughts at one moment and slipping on a banana peel the next. Note: You can also call something that causes someone to look stupid or have problems a banana skin or a banana peel. Insiders watched in horrified fascination as the President lurched from one banana peel to another. Note: Comedies and cartoons traditionally show a character slipping on a banana skin, falling over, and looking foolish.

The main leader of an organization or undertaking, the chief. Top banana comes from vaudeville, where the term denoted the starring comedian. Possibly it originally alluded to an individual who used bananas in his or her act. The 1954 film Top Banana, starring Phil Silvers, features a television comic and uses a great many vaudeville jokes. (A related term is second banana, for a supporting comedian, usually the straight man. However, it has not been as widely extended to other venues and cannot be considered a cliché.) Top dog came from sports in the late 1800s and alluded to the dog who wins in a dogfight (emerges on top); it was quickly extended to the winner or favorite in other competitions, and eventually simply to the principal leader.

insincere or ridiculous talk. Like “horse feathers,” there's no such substance as banana oil. Also like “horse feathers,” the phrase Described something utterly preposterous. It has been attributed to Milt Gross, a cartoonist who first used the expression in his comic strips during the 1920s.

Headliner comedian in a vaudeville show. The phrase is said to have originated with a vaudevillian named Harry Steppe in 1927 from a skit in which three comics tried to figure out how to share two bananas. Steppe also claimed to have first used “second banana” to refer to the cast's number two comic. Comedian Phil Silvers popularized the phrase “Top Banana” when he used it as the title of his Broadway musical and movie.