English

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Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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welfare Cadillac (plural welfare Cadillacs)

  1. (US, idiomatic) The case of a person or group receiving public benefits, although the benefits are not actually needed by the recipient or are obtained by fraud.

See also

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