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by xuefei gao on July 24th, 2005

xuefei gao

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What does the idiom "ride on the coattail [of something]" mean?

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  • by ggonnigan on July 25th, 2005

    ggonnigan

    [ride on one's coattails] {v. phr.} To succeed in a certain
    endeavor by attaching oneself to the greater weight of another person
    or corporate body.

    Example:

    "We will never get our Ph.D. program approved on our own," said the head of the modern dance department, "but we might
    succeed if we stay in the Division of Fine Arts, riding on their
    coattails, as it were."

    Reference Link:

    http://lib.ru/ENGLISH/american_idioms.txt_Piece40.35

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