depend on his success, use his success My dad was a great doctor, but I don't want to ride his coattails.
ride on one's coattails
Idiom(s): ride on someone's coattails AND hang on someone's coattails
Theme: FOLLOWING
to make one's good fortune or success depend on another person. (Also with else, as in the examples.) • Bill isn't very creative, so he rides on John's coattails. • Some people just have to hang on somebody else's coattails.
hang on one's coattails
Idiom(s): ride on someone's coattails AND hang on someone's coattails
Theme: FOLLOWING
to make one's good fortune or success depend on another person. (Also with else, as in the examples.) • Bill isn't very creative, so he rides on John's coattails. • Some people just have to hang on somebody else's coattails.
on one's coattails|coattails|on
adv. phr. Because of another's merits, success, or popularity. Bob and Jim are best friends. When Jim was invited to join a fraternity, Bob rode in on his coattails.Many people vote straight for all the candidates in the same political party. Most people voted for President K., so Governor B. rode in on K.'s coattails.
ride on one's coattails|coattails|ride
v. phr. To succeed in a certain endeavor by attaching oneself to the greater weight of another person or corporate body. "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."
on someone's coattails Also, on the coattails of. Owing to another person's popularity or merits. For example, He won the cabinet post by hanging on the senator's coattails, or He was elected to office on the coattails of the governor. This expression, with its graphic image, dates from the mid-1800s, when coats with tails were in fashion.
An coattails idiom dictionary is a great resource for writers, students, and anyone looking to expand their vocabulary. It contains a list of words with similar meanings with coattails, allowing users to choose the best word for their specific context.
Diccionario de palabras similares, Sinónimos, Diccionario Idioma coattails