coattail

Thân thiện

A man's coattail flutters as he walks briskly down the street.

Definition

Noun: 1. The loose back flap of a coat that hangs below the waist: Specifically, one of the two back panels of a formal coat, such as a tailcoat or morning coat, which are divided and extend downwards. 2. The influence or momentum of another, more successful person or thing: Used metaphorically to describe benefiting from the success or popularity of another.

Usage and Examples

• Literal Meaning (Clothing):

  • The gentleman's coattails flapped behind him as he hurried down the street.
  • Traditional formal wear often features long coattails.

• Figurative/Idiomatic Meaning (Influence):

  • The lesser-known candidate hoped to win by riding the coattails of the popular presidential nominee.
  • Many products enjoy success by riding the coattails of a major brand's advertising campaign.

Advanced Usage and Idioms

• "to ride on someone's coattails": To achieve success primarily by associating with or benefiting from the success of another person.
  • He wasn't very talented himself but managed to get promoted by riding on his boss's coattails.
• "coattail effect": In politics, the positive influence a popular candidate at the top of a ticket has on other candidates from the same party further down the ballot.
  • The senator's landslide victory provided a strong coattail effect, helping several local candidates win their races.

Variants and Related Words

• Coattails (noun, plural form): This is the most common form used for both literal and figurative meanings.
  • Literal: He brushed the dust from his coattails.
  • Figurative: She is tired of politicians trying to grab her coattails.

Synonyms

• For the literal meaning: Tail, flap, panel.
• For the figurative meaning: Coattails is often used as its own concept. Near-synonyms for the include: coattail effect, reflected glory, borrowed prestige, momentum.

Notes on Meaning

The word has two distinct but connected meanings: 1. The primary, concrete meaning refers to a part of a garment. 2. The secondary, metaphorical meaning is derived from the image of literally holding onto someone's coattails to be pulled along. This idiom is almost always used in the plural form ("coattails").

Học thuật

Noun

1. the loose back flap of a coat that hangs below the waist