Definition of "second-stringer" [second-stringer]

• A person who plays second string. A person who is kept on a sports team as a backup in case a first string player is unavailable. (noun)
• A person who is not good enough to be considered proficient but is possible as a backup. (noun)

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• ""We're both left-handed, I guess," the second-stringer said with a smile."
• "He's likely to receive ample playing time Sunday against Cincinnati, as second-stringer Mark Brunell—already nursing an injured finger on his throwing hand—limped out of practice with a calf injury Friday."
• "Like Palin, he too plays basketball, but while she is leading her school to the state championship, he is a second-stringer on a team whose wins and losses go unremarked, even though it too wins a state championship."