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Ride on your coattails Meaning in English

expression · lemma: ride on someone's coattails

RYD on yor KOTE-taylz
RYD on yaw KUHT-taylz

Definition

To benefit from someone else’s success, reputation, or hard work rather than your own efforts.

Usage & Nuances

This is an informal, sometimes negative idiom, suggesting someone gains advantages without putting in effort. Often used about careers or opportunities. It’s usually used as 'ride on someone's coattails' with 'your', 'his', 'her', etc.

Spanish: aprovecharse del éxito de alguienPortuguese (BR): pegar carona no sucesso de alguémPortuguese (PT): aproveitar-se do sucesso de alguémChinese (Simplified): 借别人的东风（成功）Chinese (Traditional): 沾別人的光（成功）Hindi: किसी और की सफलता का फायदा उठानाArabic: الاستفادة من نجاح شخص آخرBengali: অন্যের কৃতিত্বে উপকৃত হওয়া - অন্যের সাফল্যের সুযোগ নেওয়াRussian: пользоваться успехом другого - ехать на чужой славеJapanese: 他人の成功に便乗する - 他人のコートの裾に乗る（比喩）Vietnamese: dựa vào thành công của người khác - hưởng lợi từ thành tựu của người khácKorean: 남의 성공에 편승하다 - 남의 덕을 보다Turkish: başkasının başarısından nemalanmak - birinin sayesinde ilerlemekUrdu: کسی اور کی کامیابی کا فائدہ اٹھاناIndonesian: menumpang kesuksesan orang lain - mengambil keuntungan dari keberhasilan orang lain

Example Sentences

He got the promotion by riding on his boss's coattails.

basic

Some people ride on their friends' coattails to get jobs.

basic

I don't want to ride on your coattails; I want to earn it myself.

basic

She always seems to ride on her sister's coattails whenever there’s an opportunity.

natural

Don't try to ride on my coattails; do your own work!

natural

People said he only succeeded because he rode on his mentor's coattails.

natural