coat-trailing

American

[koht-trey-ling] / ˈkoʊtˌtreɪ lɪŋ /

noun

British.

behavior that is deliberately provocative.

Etymology

Origin of coat-trailing

First recorded in 1925–30; from the phrase trail one's coat, provoking someone to step on it

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The book to some extent invited—and Kingsley availed himself of the opportunity in a far more than sufficient degree—that "coat-trailing" which, as has been said, inevitably in its turn provokes "coat-treading": and it has been abused from various quarters.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023