Raining Cats and Dogs
Meaning: Raining very heavily.
When it’s raining very heavily, English speakers sometimes say, “It’s raining cats and dogs!” No one knows exactly where the phrase comes from, but it’s been used since the 1600s. Today, it just means a heavy downpour, not actual animals falling from the sky.
How to use it
It’s a well-known, playful idiom, but many native speakers find it a little old-fashioned. In everyday conversation, people more often say “It’s pouring” or “It’s really coming down.” It only describes rain, not snow or anything else.
Examples
- Bring an umbrella. It’s raining cats and dogs out there.
- It was raining cats and dogs, so we canceled the barbecue.
- Our flight was delayed because it was raining cats and dogs in Chicago.
A common mistake
For rain happening now, use the continuous form: It’s raining cats and dogs, not “It rains cats and dogs.” And keep the order: cats first, then dogs.
Where it comes from
No one knows for sure. Similar phrases appear in the 1600s, and Jonathan Swift used “rain cats and dogs” in the 1730s. Popular stories about animals falling from thatched roofs have no good evidence behind them.
Say it out loud
Tabbi Daily gives you one short lesson like this every day. Listen, record yourself and hear how you sound. Free, no account needed.
Source: Medium