wagon
/ˈwaɡ(ə)n
/- Years ago the refuse wagon had a trailer on the back for waste paper and cardboard.
- Only ammunitions wagons and ambulances were brought up to the immediate rear lines.
- They cornered Loudon Lane only to find a coal wagon blocking their way.
- The barn had a high central alley, tall enough for a threshing machine or a hay wagon.
- After we had bailed the hay then we would get the long wagons and load the hay.
- Side by side they travel, combine and wagon, until the bin on the combine is empty.
- Transport officials said one of the rear wagons may have derailed first, pulling others off the line.
- The remainder of his working life was spent at the carriage and wagon department at Swindon railway works.
- I travelled by foot, by hitch-hiking and by clambering onto the wagons of freight trains.
- One spring when he was hauling some logs, his wagon wheels sank down to the axles in mud.
- She felt the wagon being covered, then felt motion as the driver urged the horses on.
- He wandered around and came to a cook wagon preparing some food.
- Mobile food wagons rather than traditional catering facilities are the order of the day.
- The cart, disguised as a kerosene peddler's wagon, was suspicious because it had no spigot to dispense fuel.
- Once the council realises its mistake and I'm allowed to stay, I'll get gypsy wagons down here to repair and put on show.
- He then built a big top and circus wagons, which were all painted their trademark ‘Giffords red’.
- I certainly see there is plenty of good automotive art in this mix of new models and concept wagons.
- Exterior styling is a mix between a sports sedan and a luxury wagon, with the seating position of an SUV.
Phrases
on (or off) the wagon
Origin
Late 15th century: from Dutch wagen; related to wain.
The Dutch word wagen is the source of our wagon. It is related to wain (Old English), an old word for ‘wagon’ that is now mainly encountered in the name of a star formation Charles's Wain, now more commonly called the Plough. Wainscot (Middle English) is from Middle Low German wagenschot, apparently from wagen ‘wagon’ and schot, probably meaning ‘partition’. If you are on the wagon you are avoiding alcohol. The original version of this expression was on the water wagon, which first appeared in America in the early 20th century. A water wagon was a sort of barrel on wheels which was used to water dusty streets. These vehicles had been around since the early 18th century at least, but it may have been the increasing popularity of the temperance movement in the latter part of the 19th century that gave rise to the phrase. See also hitch