Top Banana

White background with black text on the bottom. An image of a sitting monkey with its eyes closed takes up the top and center of the button. One of the monkey's hands is holding it's face; the other hand is holding a banana.

“Top banana” is a slang term used to refer to the most important person in an organization or group. For example, the United States president can be referred to as the nation’s “Top Banana.” The expression originated in the American theater in the early 20th century. Leading performers were dubbed “top banana,” and different stages were called things like “third banana,” “second banana,” and “first banana” or “top banana.”