I’m “On the Wagon”…?
How often have we all declared ourselves to be ‘on the wagon’ - implying a period of self-imposed abstinence from alcohol? The English language is peppered with such phrases whose origins seem obscured, or are simply never considered. One explanation offered up for this phrase is as follows:
Until the late 18th century, prisoners were taken in a cart from Newgate Prison to Tyburn (near Bayswater Road) to be hanged on the gallows there. The cart would stop at an inn at St Giles in the Fields for the condemned man to have a last drink. Sympathetic onlookers would often try to offer a second drink to the prisoner, whose escort wouldn’t allow it, telling them that the prisoner was going ‘on the wagon’!
![[Ask]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/ask.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[dzone]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/dzone.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Furl]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/furl.png)
![[Google]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[linkaGoGo]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkagogo.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MyWeb]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myweb.png)
![[Netvouz]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/netvouz.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Simpy]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/simpy.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.londonrevolution.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Tags: alcohol, english language, newgate prison, on the wagon, tyburn