From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisha poor second/third etca poor second/third etcLOSE A GAME, COMPETITION, OR WARthe act of finishing a race, competition etc a long way behind the person ahead of you McLean won easily, and Benson was a poor second.come (in) a poor second/third etc British English The Socialists came a poor second with 26.5% of the vote. → poor
Examples from the Corpus
come (in) a poor second/third etc• It is true though, that where waters are absolutely saturated with maggots, even bread comes a poor second.• In the real world political initiatives come a poor second to security considerations.• All in all marriage was a pragmatic affair and individual desires came a poor second to the harmony of the group.• The passenger has always come a poor second to the operational integrity of the system.• The Socialists would come a poor second with 26.5%; the Communists could expect no more than 7%. 