Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

off the wagon

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.90 in modern English

Syllables
of-f the wag-on
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.

Example Sentences

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.”

Phrases

fall off the wagon

Frequently Paired Words

fall off the wagon

Antonyms

on the wagon

Questions

What does off the wagon mean?
No longer maintaining a program of self-improvement or abstinence from an undesirable habit, especially drinking alcohol.
Where does off the wagon come from?
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.”

How to pronounce off the wagon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “off the wagon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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