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Glite Dictionary
to ride on the back of

to ride on the back of

5.4
To use past success to help you now
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : depender del éxito previo
  • She is riding on the back of her parents' success to launch her own career.

But actually what we were doing was riding on the back of a of a previous film by made by a very good film maker whose name I think is Anthony Baxter.

Examples

  • Many entrepreneurs start out by riding on the back of established brands to gain visibility.

  • The company managed to succeed by riding on the back of the innovative technology developed last year.

  • But actually what we were doing was riding on the back of a of a previous film by made by a very good film maker whose name I think is Anthony Baxter.

    Danny Jones

Synonyms

to ride
vsto ride on the back of
244 5.3

To depend on something for the result

means depending on past achievements rather than any current condition
to stand on the shoulders of
vsto ride on the back of
  • Formal
4 5.7

Make progress by using the ideas and work of earlier people

is about relying on earlier achievements rather than passive gain
on one's coattails
vsto ride on the back of
  • Informal
1 7.4

Gain an advantage from someone else's success without doing much work

focuses on passive gain rather than general reliance on past achievements
on the coattails of
vsto ride on the back of
7.1

Getting success because someone more successful already did the work

is similar but can imply neutral dependence on earlier achievements
to ride on someone's coattail
vsto ride on the back of
  • Informal
6.9

Use another person's success to get benefits without much effort

emphasizes dependence on prior successes not personal effort or invention
on the coattails
vsto ride on the back of
7.7

Get success without earning it because someone more famous helped you

refers to depending on past achievements rather than instant personal gain
to stand on someone's shoulders
vsto ride on the back of
  • Formal
5.4

Use other people's ideas or work to move forward

focuses on active advancement not merely depending on past success

How Dependent

to exploit
214 5.6
to rely on
602 1.0
to ride on the back of
5.4
to build on
179 3.4

Surface Forms

ride on the back of infinitive
riding on the back of present participle
rides on the back of third person singular
rode on the back of past
ridden on the back of past participle

Morphology

ride + on + the + back + of

The literal components ('ride' + 'on the back of') create a clear image of being carried or supported by something, so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer a meaning like 'depend on' or 'benefit from' as a metaphorical extension. However, this is a figurative use rather than a strictly compositional one, so the exact nuance (especially collocational constraints and pragmatic use) may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Ride on the back of may come from the simple image of someone riding on another person or animal's back, being carried along without doing the work. So it means 'to depend on or benefit from' someone else's earlier success.