coattail: Meaning and Definition of

coat•tail

Pronunciation: (kōt'tāl"), [key]
— n.
  1. the back of the skirt on a man's coat or jacket.
  2. one of the two back parts of the skirt of a coat, esp. one of the tails on a tail coat.
  3. aided by association with another person: The senator rode into office on the President's coattails.
  4. immediately after or as a result of: His decline in popularity followed on the coattails of the scandal.
—adj.
  1. gained by association with another, esp. with a successful or celebrated person: coattail benefits.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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