coattails
Formal jacket extensions
Coattails are the two flaps at the back of a formal coat, hanging below the waist.
The word appears most often in the figurative phrase on someone's coattails, meaning benefiting from another's success or popularity: She rode into office on the president's coattails.
The image is of someone literally clinging to a more powerful person's coat as they advance.
Organized public voting
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
- endorsementFormal expression of support
- incumbentCurrent position holder
- ticketEntry permit slip
platform · caucus · delegates · constituency · downballot · midterms · landslide · mandate
Surging popular cause
- ridingControlling while mounted
- coastingMoving without active effort
- benefitingReceiving advantage from
- draftingCreating technical blueprints
piggybacking · freeloading · mooching · capitalizing · leveraging · hitching · latching · associating
Informal power or punch
- influencePower to affect others
- connectionsRelationships between things
- sponsorFunder of activities
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
benefactor · protégé · nepotism · favoritism · networking · advancement · opportunity · association
election
Organized public voting
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
- endorsementFormal expression of support
- incumbentCurrent position holder
ticket · platform · caucus · delegates · constituency · downballot · midterms · landslide · mandate · turnout
bandwagon
Surging popular cause
- ridingControlling while mounted
- coastingMoving without active effort
- benefitingReceiving advantage from
drafting · piggybacking · freeloading · mooching · capitalizing · leveraging · hitching · latching · associating · following
clout
Informal power or punch
- influencePower to affect others
- connectionsRelationships between things
- sponsorFunder of activities
mentor · benefactor · protégé · nepotism · favoritism · networking · advancement · opportunity · association · attachment
jacket
Sleeved upper-body covering
lapel · hem · seam · tailor · cutaway · waistcoat · topcoat · formalwear
- politicsdemocracy, campaigning, campaigns, democrats, bill
- campaigningcandidate, campaign signs, canvassing, campaign manager, fundraising
- political jargonfilibuster, gerrymandering, caucus, pork barrel, lame duck
- electionsballot, ballots, voter registration, candidates, polls
- presidencyOval Office, president, Washington, executive branch, veto
- election resultsvictory, defeat, winner, loser, win
coattailsself-made
Successful through own efforts
bootstrap · self-reliance · trailblazing · pioneering · self-starting
- rode the coattailsGained from another's efforts
- ride the coattailsProfit from another's achievement
- riding the coattailsGaining from another's success
- coattail effectSuccess through powerful association
- ridden the coattailsSucceeded via association