second fiddle

ˈsɛkənd ˈfɪdəl

Definition

Definition of second fiddle - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

hierarchyrole of lesser importance or status

He felt unhappy playing second fiddle to his more successful sibling..

musicthe second violin in a string quartet

She was the second fiddle in the quartet.

assistant

second violin

support

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Expressions with second fiddle

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

play second fiddle

take a less important role to someone

She always plays second fiddle to her boss.

play second fiddle to

be less important than someone else

She always felt she played second fiddle to her older sister.

Expressions with second

second honeymoon

second vacation taken by a married couple

They went on a second honeymoon to rekindle their romance.

second thought

reconsideration or revised opinion of a previous decision

After a second thought, he decided not to go.

hot second

very short period of time

I'll be back in a hot second.

second city

city ranking second in population or importance

Chicago is often called the second city of the United States.

hang on a second

intj.

ask someone to wait briefly before continuing

Hang on a second, I need to grab my phone.

just a second

short, unspecified period of time

I'll be with you in just a second.

Expressions with fiddle

fiddle with

manipulate an object in a nervous manner

She fiddled with her pen during the interview.

fiddle about

waste time doing unimportant things

He fiddled about instead of starting his work.

fiddle around

spend time doing unimportant things

He likes to fiddle around instead of working.

fiddle away

waste time or money on unimportant things

He tends to fiddle away his weekends on video games.

fiddle around with

make small adjustments without a clear goal

She fiddled around with the radio until it worked.

fiddle the books

alter financial records to hide fraud or theft

The accountant was caught trying to fiddle the books.

fiddle the figures

change numbers to deceive or mislead others

The accountant tried to fiddle the figures to hide losses.

fine as a fiddle

adj.

in excellent health or condition

After the surgery, he felt fine as a fiddle.

fit as a fiddle

adj.

in excellent condition or working order

The old car is still fit as a fiddle.

play first fiddle

take the most prominent role

In the new film, he plays first fiddle as the main character.

Examples of second fiddle in a sentence

Despite his talent, he often found himself playing second fiddle in the band.
He played second fiddle in the orchestra.
The second fiddle part was crucial for harmony.

View all translations of second fiddle

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:second rôle, second violon, ...
German:zweite Geige, zweite Violine, ...
Italian:secondo piano, secondo violino, ...
Spanish:segundón, segundo violín, ...
Portuguese:papel secundário, segundo violino, ...
Chinese:二把手, 第二小提琴, ...
Japanese:二番手, セカンドフィドル, ...
Arabic:دَوْر ثَانَوِي, كَمَان ثَانٍ, ...
Hebrew:כִּינּוֹר שֵׁנִי, כִּינּוֹר שֵׁנִי בְּקְוַרְטֶט, ...
Russian:второстепенная роль, вторая скрипка, ...
Ukrainian:друга скрипка, ...
Hindi:दूसरी भूमिका, दूसरी वायलिन, ...
Bengali:গৌণ ভূমিকা, দ্বিতীয় বেহালা, ...
Catalan:segon violí, ...
Czech:druhé housle, ...
Danish:andenviolin, anden violin, ...
Dutch:tweede viool, ...
Greek:δεύτερο βιολί, δεύτερη θέση, ...
Hungarian:mellékszerep, második hegedű, ...
Khmer:តួនាទីដែលមានសារៈសំខាន់ ឬឋានៈទាបជាងគេ, វីយូឡុងទីពីរ, ...
Korean:이차적인 역할, 두 번째 바이올린, ...
Persian:نقش دوم, ویولن دوم, ...
Polish:drugie skrzypce, ...
Portuguese (BR):papel secundário, segundo violino, ...
Romanian:rol secundar, a doua vioară, ...
Swedish:andra fiolen, ...
Thai:บทบาทรอง, ไวโอลินตัวที่สอง, ...
Turkish:ikinci planda kalma, ikinci keman, ...
Vietnamese:vai phụ, người chơi violin thứ hai, ...

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