to take the pledge
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To bind oneself by a solemn undertaking to abstain from intoxicat- ing liquors; the pledge being the guarantee or security — one's pledged word.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to take the pledge” mean?
To bind oneself by a solemn undertaking to abstain from intoxicat- ing liquors; the pledge being the guarantee or security — one's pledged word.
Is “to take the pledge” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.