top banana
1
7.7
- noun
- /tɑp bəˈnænə/
- Archaic
:
el jefe
- In our team project, John is the top banana who leads all discussions and strategies.
Examples
-
During the meeting, everyone looked to Maria, the top banana, for guidance on the new policy.
-
As the CEO of the company, she is the top banana making all the important decisions.
-
Steve Mills was the top banana.
-
♪ I am the top banana... ♪
-
It says I'm the top banana in a world full of hungry little monkeys.
-
It's the top banana.
Blog text (14) -
When it comes to sexiness in the makeup department, Jennifer Lopez is basically the top banana.
Blog text (28) -
You're the top banana...
-
IT'S USEFUL BEING TOP BANANA IN THE SHOCK DEPARTMENT.
-
My dad first was first introduced to burlesque through the Ann Corio show, where he was what they would call a dancing juvenile, which is sort of the person that comes out and warms the audience up for the top banana.
Synonyms
33
7.0
The most important person who controls a group or activity
22
6.9
An important person with power in a company or group
21
4.6
A person with the most power in a group
14
3.6
An important person in a group or organization who has power
8
5.3
A person who is very important in a group or company
7
6.7
A person who is best in a group or class
5
7.1
A person with an important job in an organization
4
9.5
A very important person in a group or organization, often the most powerful
3
8.4
A person who is the most important leader in a group or organization
2
4.4
A person or group who is top and most powerful after a competition
1
7.5
A person who is in charge of a group and makes the main decisions
1
8.1
An important person who makes key decisions for a group
1
8.6
An important person with power in a group or area
1
9.8
The most important person in a group who makes final decisions
A person or thing that leads a group and shows the best example
Antonyms
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
top + banana
The meaning 'the most important or influential person' is not derivable from combining 'top' (highest) with 'banana' (a fruit) because 'banana' does not contribute any sense of leadership or rank. The phrase is an idiomatic/slang term (historically vaudeville) and thus unpredictable for a learner; a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer this meaning.
Etymology
The noun top banana comes from old comedy shows where the top comic, the head performer, often made the biggest jokes and sometimes used a banana as a funny prop. Because that person stood out on stage, the phrase came to mean 'the most important or influential person'.