the.com/top banana
The one who gets the mic, the blame, and the last word.
means The lead performer or top person in charge — the one calling the shots in a group, business, or act.
from From old burlesque and vaudeville slang, where comedians were ranked by billing — the 'top banana' got the headline laughs, with a 'second banana' as the straight-man sidekick. The popular story ties it to a literal banana-shaped prop used in a classic stage gag, where the lead comic got the punchline with it — plausible, but no one's fully certain which routine started it. What's clear is the phrase stuck around after vaudeville faded, ripening into general slang for whoever's running the show.
- origin
- Vaudeville slang for lead comedian in a skit
- sidekick
- Second banana took the pratfalls, not the bows
- usage today
- Means boss, often said half-mockingly