tail-coat
Definition
- Noun:
- A formal evening coat: "tail-coat" refers to a man's formal coat, cut away from the waist in front and having long tails at the back, typically worn as part of white-tie attire for very formal occasions such as state dinners, balls, or orchestral performances.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- He wore a crisp white shirt and a black tail-coat to the gala. (He dressed in a formal coat with tails for the elegant event.)
- The conductor stepped onto the stage in a traditional tail-coat. (The orchestra leader wore the standard formal attire for classical performances.)
Advanced Usage
"to don a tail-coat": to put on or wear a formal coat with tails.
- The groom donned a tail-coat for the wedding ceremony. (He dressed in the formal coat for the special occasion.)
"tail-coat attire": the specific dress code requiring a tail-coat, often synonymous with "white tie."
- The invitation specified tail-coat attire for the ball. (The event required guests to wear the most formal evening dress.)
Variants and Related Words
Tailcoat (n): a variant spelling of "tail-coat," used interchangeably.
- His tailcoat was impeccably tailored. (His formal coat was perfectly made.)
Coattail (n): the flap or tail of a coat, especially of a tail-coat; also used figuratively in "riding on someone's coattails."
- He grabbed the coattail of his tail-coat as he sat down. (He held the back flap of the formal coat.)
Synonyms
- Dress coat: a formal coat with tails, synonymous with tail-coat.
- White-tie coat: a coat worn as part of white-tie dress code.
Phrasal Verbs
- Dress in a tail-coat: to put on a tail-coat as part of formal attire.
- He dressed in a tail-coat for the royal banquet. (He wore the formal coat for the ceremonial dinner.)
Related Idioms
- On someone's coattails: to achieve success by association with another person (derived from the tails of a coat).
- She rose to fame on the coattails of her famous father. (She succeeded by being associated with him, not by her own efforts.)
