This week’s theme
Words relating to fruit

This week’s words
apple-polish
fig leaf
grapevine
top banana
plummy

---

A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(TOP buh-NAN-uh)

MEANING:

noun: The leader of a company, group, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From the use of bananas as a prop in burlesque shows. Earliest documented use: 1947. A person in a secondary role is called a second banana.

USAGE:

“‘I’m no longer going to be in charge,’ Mr. Riggio said. ‘I’m done with that. I’m done with being top banana.’”
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg; Pioneering Barnes & Noble Leader to Step Down; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Apr 27, 2016.

See more usage examples of top banana in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: