n. 25B6; noun he handed over to his deputy : SECOND (IN COMMAND), number two, subordinate, junior, assistant, personal assistant, PA, aide, helper, right-hand man/woman, underling, man/girl Friday; substitute, stand-in, fill-in, relief, understudy, locum tenens; representative, proxy, agent, spokesperson; Scottish depute; informal sidekick, locum, temp.
25B6; adjective her deputy editor : ASSISTANT, substitute, stand-in, acting, reserve, fill-in, caretaker, temporary, provisional, stopgap, surrogate; pro tempore, ad interim; informal second-string.