「抱大腿」,指藉助他人的優勢來獲得收益的行為,特別指弱者主動去藉助強者的優勢,與英語習語「ride one's coattails」意思相近,表示「to use someone else's success as a means to achieve one's own」。
「大腿」往往指有權有勢的對象,因此「抱大腿」也可翻譯為「latch onto the rich and powerful」。
例句:
眾所周知,過去兩年你一直在抱州長的大腿,但她的任期一結束,你就只能靠自己了。
Everyone knows you've been riding the governor's coattails for the last two years, but once her term ends you'll be on your own.