D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

coattails

· IPA /kˈoʊttˌeɪlz/
01 n. pl. the influence of another person; the effect of association with another person; as, he was elected to office on the president's coattails.
  1. 1.
    the influence of another person; the effect of association with another person; as, he was elected to office on the president's coattails.[fig.]
Phrases & compounds
on the coattails of — helped by association with another person. See coattails.