jump on the bandwagon

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

US 1899. A bandwagon carried the musicians at the head of a parade or at a political rally, beckoning others to follow. When used to refer to politics, jumping on the bandwagon suggests following the crowd for the excitement of the event rather than any firm conviction in its direction or truthfulness. The phrase is first attested in a letter by Theodore Roosevelt in 1899:[1]

When I once became sure of one majority they rumbled over each other to get aboard the band wagon.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Verb

jump on the bandwagon (third-person singular simple present jumps on the bandwagon, present participle jumping on the bandwagon, simple past and past participle jumped on the bandwagon)

  1. (idiomatic) To profit from a craze; to join a trend.
    After the incredible success of Wonka's latest low-fat chocolate bar, Fickelgruber has jumped on the bandwagon, and released a low-fat version.

Translations

See also

References
  1. “bandwagon, jump on the”, Wordorigins.org, Dave Wilton, Saturday, April 08, 2006.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.