second fiddle

second fiddle

Subordinate, lesser, or smaller in role, position, or importance. Most often used in the phrase "play second fiddle (to someone)." I'm really sick of playing second fiddle to this ignoramus—I'm the one who deserves to be the star of the show! He had aspirations of moving ahead in the company, but by now it seems like he's destined to remain second fiddle.
See also: fiddle, second
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

second fiddle

n. a person in a secondary role; the second best. (Frequently with play.) I won’t stay around here playing second fiddle for someone half my age and ability!
See also: fiddle, second
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

second fiddle

Play a less important role. In an orchestra or string quartet, music produced by the second violin(s) tends to play more of a supportive harmonic role than the more melodically prominent first violin player(s) play. By extension, “second fiddle” is a companion whose role is less recognized than the person who gets the credit.
See also: fiddle, second
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • in (just) a second
  • in a second
  • second go
  • a second thought
  • any second now
  • any second
  • second bite of the apple
  • number two
  • your/somebody's number two
  • split second
References in periodicals archive
There may be a lot of truth in what she says but the reality is she is playing a second fiddle to the army," Vadakkan added.
Aung San Suu Kyi playing second fiddle to Myanmar army: Cong on Rohingya crisis
We've long predicted O'Leary would not be second fiddle at Closutton
Ricci's Riches to keep Team Mullins on top; THE MAN WITH THE INSIDE TRACK JOE PUNTER
Count your blessings, even second fiddles have a tune, a role, imagine when you are whining about your condition the millions who do not even make the orchestra.
Other Side of the Mirror: Playing second fiddle
Imagine howwonderful itwould be if Peel Holding''s development were that good that the Three Graces did play second fiddle to the buildings?
Let them build; You Say Email:letters@liverpoolecho.co.uk
Felipe Massa says he won't play second fiddle to team-mate Fernando Alonso
I'm no No 2 driver, says defiant Massa
Responding to a question of what was the most difficult instrument to play, the maestro said: "Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who plays second violin with enthusiasm is difficult.
Second fiddle doesn't mean second best: every member of the company is equally crucial to the resultant quality of the product or service delivered
BEN FOSTER has thrown down the gauntlet to Sir Alex Ferguson by insisting he won't play second fiddle to Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford next season, writes STEVE BATES.
Football: Foster insists he wants the No.1 United spot for keeps
Our dance--classical and modern--goes cap in hand to patrons and sponsors, with creativity usually playing second fiddle to fund-raising.
Attitudes
The record of Britain's Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) is somewhat murky for the general reader, and its accomplishments definitely play second fiddle to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).
A History of No. 10 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service in World War I
But in conversations we had while waiting for files to load and discs to burn, I realized that Kucera's keyboard wizardry and buzzing equipment played second fiddle to a keen intellect interested in overlapping questions about duration, simultaneity, location, motion, point of view, and perspective, and in how shifting these factors might influence spatiotemporal perception, experiential comprehension, memory organizat ion, and the construction/conception of self.
Christopher Miles on Gregory Kucera. (First Take)
But evidently, even the march would have to play second fiddle to responding to an offhand quip in a movie.
Making a way: Never mind the movie boycotts and hip-hop celebrities, Tammy Johnson calls for real vision and change. (Politics & Bling Bling)
The guitar, however, inevitably played second fiddle as Charo's cuchi-cuchi took off.
!Arriba! Las Vegas: Charo isn't just a template for drag queens everywhere--her splashy new Vegas show also reveals her classical guitar chops. (arts & entertainment)
Azcairraga may resent playing second fiddle to the U.S.
Take your lumps. (Editor's Note)
Who exalts Herman Hertzberger today, or for that matter James Stirling, Robert Venturi or Michael Graves whose work was once so central to our architectural discourses but who now play second fiddle to Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas and Herzog & de Meuron?
HERO TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: THE LIMITS OF ARCHITECTURAL EXALTATION
No longer second fiddle to the fanciful flower, the leaf has been scattered on everything from dinnerware and glassware to scents and serveware, in a variety of shapes, designs and hues.
LEAVES OF GLASS, EARTHENWARE AND WOOD; LEAF MOTIF STRONG IN TABLETOP