play second fiddle
play second fiddle · plays second fiddle · played second fiddle · playing second fiddle
die zweite Geige spielen
To play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something elseTo play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something else.
» Tom plays the fiddle.
Том играет на скрипке. — nina99nv
Том грає на скрипці. — deniko
Hybrid · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To play a subsidiary or subordinate role to someone or something else.
die zweite Geige spielen
Examples
9 sentencesTranslations
2 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 1
idiomatic:
Origin
From the second violin in an orchestra.From the second violin in an orchestra.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plays second fiddle, playing second fiddle, played second fiddle, played second fiddle| Base form | play second fiddle · to play second fiddle |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | plays second fiddle |
| Present participle | playing second fiddle |
| Past simple | played second fiddle |
| Past participle | played second fiddle |
irregular
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle