fifth wheel
2
7.0
- noun
- /ˈfɪfθ wiːl/
- Offensive
:
quinta rueda (informal)
- At the dinner, I felt like a fifth wheel as everyone else was a couple.
- feel like a fifth wheel
Examples
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I feel like a fifth wheel.
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You and me, fifth wheel.
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I'm the fifth wheel here.
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I just don't really feel like being a fifth wheel.
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...and I was the fifth wheel to our parents' regular Saturday foursome.
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I don't mind being the fifth wheel tonight, 'cause you guys all look amazing.
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The schoolteacher began to feel like a fifth wheel.
Fiction book (1995) -
Sometimes I'll go with my married friends and have a beer at a restaurant or sports bar, but I get tired of being a third or fifth wheel sometimes.
Blog text (27) -
Got patted on the head when after six months he would go on triple dates alone as a fifth wheel and not invite me.
-
When my friends started pairing off for the activity, I knew I was just the fifth wheel in the group.
Synonyms
283
4.1
A person who is not accepted by a group or community
17
8.9
A person who goes into a place or situation where they are not wanted
17
6.1
A person who feels left out when with a couple
9
5.9
A person who does not fit in with a group
A person who feels alone and confused, often singled out by others to fill a special role
A person who feels awkward and does not belong
A person who is not wanted in a place or group
How Unnecessary
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound transparently combines 'fifth' (an ordinal) and 'wheel' (a rotating device), so a B1 learner could infer it refers to a particular or additional wheel. However, the specific technical sense—a horizontal bearing above the front axle that enables pivoting—is a specialized mechanical function not directly predictable from the constituents, so full understanding requires prior exposure or explanation.
Etymology
Fifth wheel comes from the image of an extra wheel on a four-wheel vehicle that is not needed. If you are the fifth wheel, you are like that extra part, out of place and 'unnecessary', especially among couples.