Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The main comic in a burlesque show.
- noun The head person, as of a group or project.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun idiomatic The
boss , theleader . - noun idiomatic, dated The
principal comedian in avaudeville orburlesque show .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the leading comedian in a burlesque show
- noun the most important person in a group or undertaking
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[So called from the presentation of a banana to the comedian who has the punch line in a three-person burlesque routine.]
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treeseed commented on the word top banana
yourdictionary.com:
noun
a top performer in show business; specif., the star comedian in a burlesque show
the most important person in any group
Etymology: prob. so named from the banana-shaped soft club carried by burlesque comedians
February 4, 2008