Idiom
fall off the wagon
Meaning
To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He tried to quit sugar but fell off the wagon yesterday.”
“After three months of eating healthy, she fell off the wagon during her vacation and ate only junk food.”
“Despite his firm resolve to maintain a disciplined lifestyle, the stress of the project caused him to fall off the wagon and return to his former habits.”
Examples
simple
“He tried to quit sugar but fell off the wagon yesterday.”
contextual
“After three months of eating healthy, she fell off the wagon during her vacation and ate only junk food.”
complex
“Despite his firm resolve to maintain a disciplined lifestyle, the stress of the project caused him to fall off the wagon and return to his former habits.”
Origin
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.”
Key words
Related idioms
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