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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
coattails
noun
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Alarcon rose to power on Bucaram's coattails.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ In Alderman McDonough, the ward leader, Daley had a political godfather with upward mobility and long coattails.
▪ Jeffries was trying to cut him to ribbons; and here was Gordon trying to hold fast to Jeffries' coattails.
▪ The ideal of caring for aging parents is sufficiently strong that even the most undeserving aging parents can ride its coattails.
▪ There will not be any Clinton coattails for Mark Warner.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
coattails

coattails \coattails\ n. pl. [fig.] the influence of another person; the effect of association with another person; as, he was elected to office on the president's coattails. on the coattails of

  1. helped by association with another person. See coattails.

  2. caused by, or immediately following (an event).

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
coattails

also coat-tail, c.1600, from coat (n.) + tail (n.). In 17c., to do something on one's own coattail meant "at one's own expense. Meaning "power of one person," especially in politics, is from 1848 (in a Congressional speech by Abraham Lincoln, in reference to Andrew Jackson); expression riding (someone's) coattails into political office is from 1949.

Wiktionary
coattails

n. (plural of coattail English)

WordNet

Usage examples of "coattails".

And Dominica intended to vault herself to fame and fortune on the coattails of their murderous partnership.

And snug against the small of his back, in a sheath worn sideways beneath his coattails, rode one of Sven Bailey's Bowie knives.

A quick snatch at the Bowie knife concealed under his coattails, a few slashing blows at harness straps, and the startled horse was free, front hooves coming up off the pavement as it tried to stand on rear legs.

It caught hold of the Sartan's coattails and tugged the reluctant Alfred, tripping and stumbling, into the room.

George, the music master, flipped up his coattails, seated himself, and plunged into a Mozart sonatina, Marianne knew what she had been missing all her life.

The doctor's coattails were just disappearing through a door at the other end of the room.

The vicar whirled and crossed the space that separated them in a single bound, his coattails flying out like the wings of a big black bird.

Bug, who stuck close to his coattails, casting suspicious looks at our guest, but by Peter Bewlie.

Wee Robert sat on his black coattails in the drawing room, facing the assembled family.