coat ‧ tails /ˈkəʊt-teɪlz $ ˈkoʊt-/ BrE AmE noun [plural]
1 . if you achieve something on someone’s coattails, you achieve it because of the other person’s power or success
on sb’s coattails
A number of Republican congressmen were elected on Bush’s coattails.
2 . the cloth at the back of a ↑ tailcoat that is divided into two pieces