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Reader question:

Please explain “jumping on the bandwagon” in this passage:

Anyway, when Chelsea won the league a few years back, I was accused of jumping on the bandwagon. I found this label very annoying...

My comments:

Wagon is a big four-wheel vehicle pulled by horses. Once upon a time, before cars and trucks dominate the road, wagons were what made the world go round.

A bandwagon is then a big wagon, big enough to carry a whole circus band. This is an American coinage. In the old days when a circus band came in town, they would drive their bandwagons round all the places in the city or village, enticing everyone to come and see their show. Those willing, of course, were invited to “jump on the bandwagon.”

Gradually, American politicians running for office began using the bandwagon to attract voters. This, from Phrases.org.uk:

In the late 19th century, politicians picked up on this form of attracting a crowd and began using bandwagons when campaigning for office....

Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt made a clear-cut reference to the practice in his Letters, 1899 (published 1951):

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

Back to Chelsea, the London football club.

Chelsea, you see, had not done very well until recently, until 2003 as a matter of fact upon the advent of their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, from Russia. Using his millions, Abramovich soon assembled an expensive – and good – squad at Stamford Bridge, their home turf. Chelsea took off from there, having regularly won silverware, including a couple of Premier League titles.

Fan support grew accordingly, which leads to some these new supporters being accused of “jumping on the bandwagon”.

Which, of course, leads us back to the question from the top, why “I” found this label “very annoying.”

From context, you can fairly accurately assume that “I” was one of those new-found supporters of Chelsea – a club with history, as it was founded in 1905. And as such, the new supporters are often ridiculed by die-hard fans for jumping on the Chelsea bandwagon.

What the old fans are saying is that these new supporters are not serious Chelsea fans. They support Chelsea only because Chelsea are winning. They’re just hopping on to the bandwagon to celebrate with the winners. Any winners – they would just as soon pass themselves off as Liverpool supporters if Liverpool were the winners. Or Manchester United or Arsenal fans, for that matter.

In other words, they’re just going along for a ride. They haven’t been to each and every Chelsea game at home and away, singing and crying themselves hoarse in cheering their team on come rain or shine.

In conclusion, these new supporters don’t deserve all the fun and joy they’re getting.

And that is perhaps the bitter part, the part that the new comer finds “annoying”.

Got it?

Alright, here are media examples of other people hopping on the bandwagon of one type or another:

1. There are a certain number of Republican primary voters who just want a winner, and who will gravitate to whichever candidate looks like a “winner” — an admittedly subjective criterion. When Perry was best known as a tough-talking Texan with a terrific record on jobs, this segment of primary voters was eager to jump on the bandwagon. After the debates, the vaccine answers, the “heartless” comment, etc., they’re jumping off the bandwagon and looking elsewhere — and perhaps it’s Herman Cain’s turn to be flavor of the month.

- The Perry Bandwagon, Looking a Little Lighter These Days, NationalReview.com, October 4, 2011.

2. Come one, come all -- demand your collateral for the Greek bailout!

According to Bloomberg, Austria, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Slovenia are all considering demanding bilateral collateral agreements with Greece in exchange for their part in the most recent bailout, after Finland concluded collateral negotiations yesterday.

Finland demanded that Greece provide insurance for funds provided by Switzerland through the European Financial Stability Facility during bailout negotiations in July.

But now it seems that everyone is getting on the bandwagon.

- Bad News: More Countries Are Jumping On The Greek Collateral Bandwagon, BusinessInsider.com, August 18, 2011.

3. Seniors and home care - along with education and tutoring and “fast-casual” healthy quick-serve restaurants - are among the fastest-growing areas within franchising, said Perry Maisonneuve, founder and principal of Northern Lights Consultants in Mississauga, Ont.

“The highest-growth area in franchising is service-based businesses and anything to do with the aging demographic,” Maisonneuve said.

Other businesses jumping on the bandwagon include those providing cleaning services, lawn-cutting or massage therapy.

Grocery deliveries and shopping online are also popular among seniors.

- Business jumps on the aging boomer bandwagon, Canada.com, September 17, 2011.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: [email protected], or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

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Cut him down to size?

Bad blood?

Go for broke?

Pull the plug?

（作者張欣 中國日報網英語點津 編輯陳丹妮）