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on the wagon
on the wagon
Fig. not drinking alcohol. No, I don't care for a cocktail. I'm on the wagon. Bob's old drinking buddies complained that he was no fun when he went on the wagon.
on the wagon
not drinking any alcohol, after a period of drinking regularly
He's been on the wagon for ten years now. Usage notes: usually said about someone who has an alcohol problem
on the wagon
Abstaining from drinking alcoholic beverages, as in Don't offer her wine; she's on the wagon. This expression is a shortening of on the water wagon, referring to the horse-drawn water car once used to spray dirt roads to keep down the dust. Its present meaning dates from about 1900. The antonym off the wagon, used for a resumption of drinking, dates from the same period. B.J. Taylor used it in Extra Dry (1906): "It is better to have been on and off the wagon than never to have been on at all."
on the wagon
mod. not now drinking alcoholic liquor. How long has John been on the wagon this time?
on the wagon
Slang Abstaining from alcoholic beverages.