fall off the wagon

== English == === Etymology === Originally fall off the water wagon or fall off the water cart, referring to carts used to hose down dusty roads: see the 1901 quotation below. The suggestion is that a person who is “on the wagon” is drinking water rather than alcoholic beverages. The term may have been used by the early 20th-century temperance movement in the United States; for instance, William Hamilton Anderson (1874 – c. 1959), the superintendent of the New York Anti-Saloon League, is said to have made the following remark about Prohibition: “Be a good sport about it. No more falling off the water wagon. Uncle Sam will help you keep your pledge.” === Pronunciation === === Verb === fall off the wagon (third-person singular simple present falls off the wagon, present participle falling off the wagon, simple past fell off the wagon, past participle fallen off the wagon) (idiomatic) To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction. ==== Synonyms ==== relapse ==== Related terms ==== off the wagon on the wagon ==== Translations ==== === References ===