follow-my-leader
Definition
- Noun:
- A children's game in which the players form a line and each person must imitate the actions and movements of the person at the front of the line (the leader). The leader's actions are followed exactly by all others in the chain.
Usage Examples
- (A game of imitation where players copy the leader's actions.)
- (A recreational activity involving sequential imitation.)
Advanced Usage
"to play follow-my-leader": to engage in the game of copying a leader's actions.
- The teacher instructed the class to play follow-my-leader to practise coordination. (The game was used as an educational exercise.)
Metaphorical use: used to describe a situation where people blindly imitate someone else's actions or decisions without independent thought.
- In the corporate world, many companies engage in follow-my-leader, copying the strategies of their biggest competitor. (A figurative reference to unthinking imitation.)
Variants and Related Words
- Follow-the-leader (n): an alternative name for the same game (more common in American English).
- The kids decided to play follow-the-leader instead of tag. (A synonym for follow-my-leader.)
Synonyms
- Copycat (n): a person who imitates another's actions, often in a playful or unoriginal way.
- Mimic (v): to imitate someone's actions or speech closely.
Related Idioms
Follow in someone's footsteps: to imitate or emulate someone's path or career.
- She decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor. (To follow a similar life path, not the game itself.)
Monkey see, monkey do: a phrase describing the tendency to imitate others without thinking.
- The younger siblings often engage in monkey see, monkey do, copying everything their older brother does. (Similar to the game's concept of blind imitation.)