play second fiddle
Definition of play second fiddle - Reverso English Dictionary
Verbal expression
subordinate roletake a less important role to someone
- She always plays second fiddle to her boss.
- He had to play second fiddle in the band.
- In the project, she played second fiddle to her colleague.
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Expressions with play second fiddle
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be less important than someone else
She always felt she played second fiddle to her older sister.
Expressions with play
engage in recreational activities for fun or competition
They love to play games on weekends.
engaged in a game or activity
The children are at play in the garden.
activity by children driven by imagination
The backyard was filled with child's play.
engage in playful or aimless activity
The children love to play about in the garden.
to act a character in a performance
She played a role in the school's theater production..
subject someone to a playful hoax or joke
They decided to play a joke on their friend.
to act in a theatrical performance
She played a part in the school's drama production..
deceive someone as a joke
They played a trick on him by hiding his shoes.
participate in a playful or teasing way
She play along with the children's game to make them happy..
behave in a silly or childish way
They like to play around during meetings.
pretend to be someone else in a game
The children love to play at being superheroes.
pretend to be someone or something for fun
The kids play at being pirates in the backyard.
start or engage in a game of ball
The teams are ready to play ball at the whistle..
act like a detective for fun
The kids decided to play detective and search for clues in the backyard.
jump over others' backs in a playful game
The kids love to play leapfrog at recess.
fake money used in games
The board game includes play money for transactions.
participate in a game where players sit in chairs
The children love to play musical chairs at parties.
finish a game or activity completely
We decided to play out the match despite the rain.
to participate in a game or sport
She always plays the game with enthusiasm..
deceive or mislead someone
He likes to play tricks on his friends.
deceive someone for fun or mischief
They love to play tricks on their friends.
use words in a clever or funny way
The poet loves to play with words in his verses.
start to have an effect or influence
The new regulations will come into play next year.
honest and respectful behavior that treats everyone fairly
Fair play is important in every competition.
Expressions with second
second vacation taken by a married couple
They went on a second honeymoon to rekindle their romance.
reconsideration or revised opinion of a previous decision
After a second thought, he decided not to go.
very short period of time
I'll be back in a hot second.
city ranking second in population or importance
Chicago is often called the second city of the United States.
ask someone to wait briefly before continuing
Hang on a second, I need to grab my phone.
short, unspecified period of time
I'll be with you in just a second.
happening very soon, almost immediately
The train will arrive any second now.
just before time runs out
He submitted his assignment at the last second.
begin to doubt an earlier choice, plan or view
After sleeping on it, I was having second thoughts about moving.
feel uncertain about a previous decision
She started to have second thoughts about the move.
action will be completed very quickly
Hold on, it won't take a second to grab my keys.
after reconsidering
On second thought, I will attend the meeting.
after reconsidering a previous decision or opinion
On second thoughts, I'll join you for dinner.
request a short wait time
Please bear with me a second, I'll be right back.
become automatic or instinctive
With practice, driving will become second nature.
regain energy or strength after feeling tired
After resting, I catch a second wind and keep running.
regain energy after fatigue
After a short break, she caught her second wind and continued running.
each moment is important
In a race, every second counts.
for a very short moment or instant
I thought I saw her for a split second.
spoken phrase to show strong agreement with what was just said
I second that, this cafe makes the best muffins.
in an extremely short amount of time
She made the decision in a split second.
habit or skill learned so well it feels natural
Playing the piano became second nature to her.
renewed energy after feeling tired
After a short break, she got her second wind.
immediately without hesitation or consideration
She accepted the job offer without a second thought.
Expressions with fiddle
manipulate an object in a nervous manner
She fiddled with her pen during the interview.
waste time doing unimportant things
He fiddled about instead of starting his work.
spend time doing unimportant things
He likes to fiddle around instead of working.
waste time or money on unimportant things
He tends to fiddle away his weekends on video games.
make small adjustments without a clear goal
She fiddled around with the radio until it worked.
alter financial records to hide fraud or theft
The accountant was caught trying to fiddle the books.
change numbers to deceive or mislead others
The accountant tried to fiddle the figures to hide losses.
in excellent health or condition
After the surgery, he felt fine as a fiddle.
in excellent condition or working order
The old car is still fit as a fiddle.
take the most prominent role
In the new film, he plays first fiddle as the main character.
manipulate someone skillfully without their awareness
She played her boss like a fiddle.
role of lesser importance or status
He felt unhappy playing second fiddle to his more successful sibling..
alter expense records dishonestly for personal gain
He was caught trying to fiddle expenses at work.
do unimportant things while a big problem happens
He fiddled while Rome burned during the company crisis.
person taking a leading role
In the project, she was the first fiddle.
acting in a dishonest way with money
He was caught acting on the fiddle at work.
manipulate or control someone completely and skillfully
She played Mark like a bass fiddle.
perform music on a fiddle
She loves to play the fiddle at family gatherings.
largest and lowest instrument in the violin family
He played the bass fiddle in the orchestra.
shaped like a fiddle
The fiddle-shaped leaves were unique to that plant species..
be less important than someone else
She always felt she played second fiddle to her older sister.
expression showing sadness or disappointment
He came home with a face as long as a fiddle after the bad news.
scheme to avoid paying full taxes
The company was involved in a tax fiddle for years.
Terms related to play second fiddle
💡 Terms in the same lexical field: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, hypernyms…
View all translations of play second fiddle
✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:jouer les seconds rôles, ...
- German:die zweite Geige spielen, ...
- Italian:essere in secondo piano, ...
- Spanish:jugar un papel secundario, ...
- Portuguese:ficar em segundo plano, ...
- Chinese:处于次要地位, ...
- Japanese:二番手を務める, ...
- Arabic:لَعِبَ دَوْرًا ثَانَوِيًّا, ...
- Hebrew:לִהְיוֹת מִסְפָּר שְׁתַּיִם, ...
- Russian:играть вторую скрипку, ...
- Ukrainian:грати другу скрипку, ...
- Hindi:गौण भूमिका निभाना, ...
- Bengali:গৌণ ভূমিকা পালন করা, ...
- Catalan:fer de segon, ...
- Czech:hrát druhé housle, ...
- Danish:spille andenviolin, ...
- Dutch:tweede viool spelen, ...
- Greek:παίζω δεύτερο ρόλο, ...
- Hungarian:másodhegedűs szerepet játszani, ...
- Khmer:ដើរតួនាទីបន្ទាប់បន្សំ, ...
- Korean:하위 역할을 맡다, ...
- Persian:نقش دوم داشتن, ...
- Polish:grać drugie skrzypce, ...
- Portuguese (BR):ficar em segundo plano, ...
- Romanian:a juca rolul secund, ...
- Swedish:stå i skuggan, ...
- Thai:เป็นรอง, ...
- Turkish:ikinci planda kalmak, ...
- Vietnamese:làm nền, ...
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