Meaning of Coattail | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The flap at the back of a coat that hangs down, sometimes below the waist.
2. Success of a figure, organization or movement that transfers to those who associate with it.
   figuratively, plural-normally

Equivalents

Examples

“At twilight in the summer[…]the mice come out. They[…]eat the luncheon crumbs. Mr. Checkly, for instance, always brought his dinner in a paper parcel in his coat-tail pocket, and ate it when so disposed, sprinkling crumbs lavishly[…]on the floor.”

“to ride the coattails”

“Mr Obama’s coat-tails may help lift Wall-Street-basher Elizabeth Warren past pickup-driving Everyman and one-time nude pin-up Scott Brown in Massachusetts[…].”

“And Harford grabs the coattails of the trend, giving us 10 rules for thinking differently about numbers in the news, ranging from “check your feelings”, to “ponder your personal experience”, to “keep an open mind”.”

CEFR level