riding the coattails
Borrowed reflected glory
Riding the coattails of someone more successful means benefiting from their achievements or popularity rather than your own merit.
The image is of clinging to another person's coat as they move forward: He rode the coattails of his famous father into Hollywood.
Often carries a note of criticism—suggesting unearned advantage or parasitic attachment to another's success.
- piggybackingRiding on another's back
- freeloadingExploiting others' generosity
- free rideBenefit without cost
- bandwagon effectAdopting trends through imitation
- parasitismOne benefits, one suffers
sycophancy · name dropping · hitchhiking · influence · patronage · favoritism · opportunism · hanger-on · glory hound · mooching · leeching · nepotism · sponging · social climbing · recognition · second fiddle · following suit · alliances
riding the coattailsself-made
Successful through own efforts
pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps · earning one's stripes · self-reliant · independent · autonomous
riding, ridden, riders, rides, coats, coated, coating, coatings, tails