coat-tail（n.）
大约1600年，“外衣后下部形成的垂坠物”，源自于 coat（n.）+ tail（n.）。在17世纪，做某事 on one's own coattail 意味着“自费”。 “某个人”的权力，特别是在政治中，至少可以追溯到1848年（亚伯拉罕·林肯的一次国会演讲）。短语 riding “将某人” coattails “推上政治舞台”始于1949年。
But the gentleman from Georgia further says we [Whigs] have deserted all our principles, and taken shelter under General Taylor's military coat-tail, and he seems to think this is exceedingly degrading. Well, as his faith is, so be it unto him. But can he remember no other military coat-tail under which a certain other party have been sheltering for near a quarter of a century? Has he no acquaintance with the ample military coat-tail of General Jackson? Does he not know that his own party have run the five last presidential races under that coat-tail? And that they are now running the sixth under the same cover? Yes, sir, that coat-tail was used not only for General Jackson himself, but has been clung to, with the grip of death, by every Democratic candidate since. [Lincoln, speech in Congress, July 27, 1848]
但来自乔治亚州的绅士进一步表示，我们（辉格党）已经背弃了我们的所有原则，并躲在泰勒将军的军大衣下，他似乎认为这非常丢人。好吧，因为他的信仰如此，所以就让他这样认为吧。但他能不能记得其他一些党派已经躲在某种军大衣下近四分之一世纪了呢？他是否熟悉杰克逊将军广大的军大衣？难道他不知道他自己的党派在过去五次总统竞选中一直借助那件军大衣？而现在第六次选举他们仍在用同一件外衣包装自己吗？是的，先生，那件外衣不仅是杰克逊将军本人使用的，而且自那以后，每个民主党候选人都紧紧抓住它，生死不放。
该词起源时间：约1600年