The English-language idiom "raining cats and dogs" or "raining dogs and cats" is used to describe particularly heavy rain. It is of unknown etymology and is not necessarily related to the raining animals phenomenon. The phrase (with "polecats" instead of "cats") has been used at least since the 17th century.Richard Brome (1652), The City Witt: "It shall rain dogs and polecats."
Etymology A number of possible etymologies have been put forward to explain the phrase. Raining cats and dogs Phrase Finder. Accessed 2009-07-28.
One possible explanation involves the drainage systems on buildings in 17th-century Europe, which were poor and may have disgorged their contents, including the corpses of any animals that had accumulated in them, during heavy showers. This occurrence is described in Jonathan Swift's 1710 poem "Description of a City Shower":
Another explanation is that "cats and dogs" may be a corruption of the Greek word , referring to the waterfalls on the Nile, possibly through the old French word ('waterfall'). In Old English, meant a cataract or waterfall.
It has been suggested that "Cats and dogs" may come from the Greek expression , which means "contrary to experience or belief"; If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually hard. However, there is no evidence to support the theory that the expression was borrowed by English speakers.
An online rumor largely circulated through email claimed that, in 16th-century Europe, animals could crawl into the thatch of peasant homes to seek shelter from the elements and would fall out during heavy rain. However, no evidence has been found in support of the claim.
Another possibility is the phrase is a truncated version of the 1592 sentence "Instead of thunderboltes shooteth nothing but dogboltes or catboltes". Dogbolts being a term for iron bolts for securing a door or gate and catbolts being a term for the bolts for fastening together pieces of timber.
There may not be a logical explanation; the phrase may have been used just for its nonsensical humor value, or to describe particularly heavy rainfall, like other equivalent English expressions ("raining pitchforks", "raining hammer handles").
Equivalent expressions in other languages Other languages have equally bizarre expressions for heavy rain. WordReference.com Language Forums, accessed on 2009-07-28. It's raining cats and dogs at Omniglot.com. Accessed through Google's cache on 2009-07-28.
LanguageExpressionEnglish translationAfan Oromothe sky got tornAfrikaansit's raining old tribal women/women/aunts with knobsticksit's raining frogs and toadsAlbanian[rain] is falling like ropesGod is taking a pissGod is cryingBengalirain is falling like pestlesBosniancrowbars droppingit's pouring like from a bucketCantonese it's raining dog's pooChinese/it's pouring out of basinsCatalanraining boats and barrelsCroatianaxes droppingCzechfalling wheelbarrowsrains like from a watering canDanishraining shoemakers' apprenticesDutchraining pipe stems (or stair rods)Dutch (Flemish)raining old womenraining kittensEstonianraining like from a beanstalkkallab nagu ämbristraining as if poured from a bucketFinnishraining like from Esteri's assraining as if poured from a bucketFrenchraining like a peeing cowraining bucketsraining halberdsraining nailsraining ropesraining enough to drink standingGeorgianraining like water flows from a filled (koka: 'water measuring tableware, jar')Germanraining like poured from bucketsraining stringsGreekraining chair legsHebrewstormy/raging rainHindirain like a pestle [onto a mortar]Hungarianlike poured from a vatIcelandiclike poured from a bucketJapaneseearth and sand descendingKannadaa stream of malletsItalianpoured from a basinLatinit rained from a basinLatvianit's raining like from bucketsLithuanianit's pouring like from a bucketMalayalammad rainMalteseinfetħu bwieb is-semathe doors of the sky have openedMarathirain like a pestle [onto a mortar]Nepalirain like a pestle [onto a mortar]Norwegianraining she-trollsdet snør kattungerit's snowing kittensOdiarain like a pestle [onto a mortar]Persianraining jackalsPolishpouring like from a bucket[the rain/it] is throwing frogsPortugueseraining penknivesraining by the pot loadraining by the bucket loadraining by the pitcher loadraining by a jug loadit's raining chorizos Portuguese (Brazil)raining snakes and lizardsa stick of water is fallinga foot of water is fallingPunjabirain that beats kidsRomanianraining frogsbreaking with rainraining from a bucketRussianit's pouring like from a bucket Scottish Gaelicthe rain as rough as whelksthe drowning delugeSerbianaxes are fallingpouring like from a bucketSinhaleseraining cats and dogsSpanish(Spain)shortpikes/icicles point firstraining by the clay pot-full(the rain) is hitting us like they hit an octopusraining toads and snakes(Argentina)pointing down turds are falling(Colombia)raining husbands(Venezuela)a stick of water is fallingSwedishraining little devilsraining small nailsthe rain stands like canes on the groundsky fallTamilghost rainTelugupouring like an inverted potThaiฝนตกไม่ลืมหูลืมตาraining without opening its eyes and earsTurkishraining like poured from a cupUkrainianpouring like from a bucketUrdurain like a pestle [on a mortar]Vietnameseraining as pouring a lot of water/white sky rainWelshraining old ladies and sticks
See also
English-language idioms Rain of animals
References