Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun US, idiomatic The
case of aperson or group receivingpublic benefits , although the benefits are not actually needed by therecipient or are obtained byfraud .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
The imagery is of a person arriving at a welfare office in a Cadillac automobile (an expensive car) to pick up a welfare payment. The implication is that the person does not need the benefit, or that the benefits are too generous.
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Examples
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