off the wagon

== English == === Etymology === Originally off the water wagon or 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 === === Prepositional phrase === off the wagon (idiomatic) No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol. ==== Antonyms ==== on the wagon ==== Related terms ==== fall off the wagon === References === === Further reading === “off the wagon”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.