deputy vs third string

deputy

verb
  • to deputise 

noun
  • A member of the Chamber of Deputies, formerly called Corps Législatif. 

  • One appointed as the substitute of others, and empowered to act for them, in their name or their behalf; a substitute in office. 

  • a member of Dáil Éireann, or the title of a member of Dáil Éireann. (Normally capitalised in both cases). 

  • a law enforcement officer who works for the county sheriff's office; a deputy sheriff or sheriff's deputy; the entry level rank in such an agency. 

  • A person employed to install and remove props, brattices, etc. and to clear gas, for the safety of the miners. 

third string

adj
  • Of a decidedly lower quality or condition. 

noun
  • A unit of players that plays behind the first and second strings; a junior varsity team. 

How often have the words deputy and third string occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )