What does the wagons are circling mean?
Definition of circle the/one’s wagons chiefly US, informal. : to gather a group of people together in order to protect them from being attacked —usually used figuratively Reporters tend to circle the wagons whenever the media are attacked for bias.
Where did the phrase circle the wagons come from?
The phrase “circle the wagons” originated back in American pioneer times when wagon trains formed into a circle for protection. “Circle the wagons” is an idiom that usually suggests that a group of people have to work together to protect themselves from some kind of external danger.
Why did pioneers circle the wagons?
To be on the safe side, the pioneers drew their wagons into a circle at night to create a makeshift stockade. If they feared Native Americans might raid their livestock—the Plains tribes valued the horses, though generally ignored the oxen—they would drive the animals into the enclosure.
Why did Cowboys circle the wagons?
The drivers then would line up all the carriages in a circle. This was a way of protecting the settlers from attack. They would keep their cattle and other animals within the circle. Although “circle the wagons” was first used in the 19th century, don’t let it stop you from using it today.
What is a wagon train master?
A wagon master was the person hired to oversee the transportation of a group of wagons. On the American frontier, the term usually applies to the person responsible for assisting groups of immigrants or pioneers from the eastern US to the western US. Wagon masters were also hired to oversee shipments of cargo or mail.
What is a wagon train?
Written By: Wagon train, caravan of wagons organized by settlers in the United States for emigration to the West during the late 18th and most of the 19th centuries.
What are wheels on a train?
The rolling component typically pressed onto an axle and mounted on a rail car or locomotive truck or bogie. Wheels are cast or forged (wrought) and are heat treated to have a specific hardness.
What is the crossing of two trains called?
This is also sometimes referred to as a crossing of two trains. In the U.S., milk trains ran from the countryside to cities making numerous stops at minor depots to pick up cans of fresh milk, making them a colloquial expression for a very slow train.
Do you remember watching wagon train as a child?
I remember watching “Wagon Train” when I was a child. It ranked up there with such western classics as “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Have Gun Will Travel,” and “Laramie.”