Follow suit
Meaning
To do what someone else has just done; to imitate their actions or example.
Origin
Picture a tense hand of 17th-century Whist or Ombre, where players carefully consider their next move. In these trick-taking card games, if the first player leads with a spade, every subsequent player, if they possess one, must play a card of the same suit—they must 'follow suit'. This literal rule, dictating an immediate and direct imitation of the previous player's action, perfectly encapsulated the broader human tendency to emulate others. The phrase quickly escaped the card table, becoming a vivid metaphor for copying an example, whether in fashion, business, or behavior, carrying with it the inherent sense of obligation or necessity from its original game context.
Examples
- When the first company offered employees unlimited vacation, many others in the industry decided to follow suit.
- After his older brother started playing tennis, his younger sister decided to follow suit and join the club as well.