Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

Well, I just received an email reply from a MBRK member, he said that he was "on the wagon." What does it mean? and Why?

Hopefully everyone knows that I am asian, and sometimes I do not understand all of the aphorisms and sayings. Please pardon my ignorance.

John, no worries, I'm a native redneck, and I still don't know what that means

"On the wagon", = Abstaining from alcoholic beverages.

"Off the wagon", = Once again drinking alcoholic beverages after a period of abstinence.

Funny, but what I don't get is the meaning of the word "wagon" in that saying. What "wagon"? duh

Xster wrote:Funny, but what I don't get is the meaning of the word "wagon" in that saying. What "wagon"? duh

After digging a bit found some clarity to the issue.


The "wagon" in "on the wagon" (having sworn off drinking all alcohol) and "off the wagon" (having failed in one's resolve and thus having started drinking again) refers to a fixture of America's past, the water wagon. Before roads were routinely paved, municipalities would dispatch horse-drawn water wagons to spray the streets in order to prevent the clouds of dust that traffic would otherwise cause. Anyone who had sworn abstinence from alcohol (and would presumably be drinking largely water from then on) was said to have "climbed aboard the water wagon," later shortened to "on the wagon."

Great explanation Shaw(u)n, You da man! Clearly stated.

Thanks, (Do not feel that ignorant anymore, maybe just a little bit)