coattail

[ koht-teyl ]

noun

1. the back of the skirt on a man's coat or jacket.
2. one of the two back parts of the skirt of a coat, especially one of the tails on a tailcoat.

adjective

1. gained by association with another, especially with a successful or celebrated person:

   coattail benefits.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coattail¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; coat + tail ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on someone's coattails, aided by association with another person:

   The senator rode into office on the president's coattails.

2. on the coattails of, immediately after or as a result of:

   His decline in popularity followed on the coattails of the scandal.

Example Sentences

ROI is designed to ride that reauthorization’s coattails, with non-controversial, common-sense budget allocations.

From Outside Online

Iran has been riding China’s coattails in the realm of surveillance for some time.

From MIT Technology Review

He moved off, his coattail bobbing oddly about his hips and his back bowed.

From Project Gutenberg

Only the weight of the lumps of metal dangling in his coattail pocket kept him from collapsing.

From Project Gutenberg