Idiom: Raining cats and dogs
Meaning
Look at the picture and try to guess the meaning of the idiom 'raining cats and dogs.'
rain cats and dogs: To rain very heavily.
Notes:
When we say it rains heavily or rains cats and dogs we mean it rains a lot at a particular moment in time. The opposite is a small amount of rain: light rain or rains lightly or drizzles.
You can use this idiom in any verb tense form: rained cats and dogs, rains cats and dogs, is raining cats and dogs, etc.
By the way, there's a chance this idiom might be in your own language because many languages have their own unique way of expressing the idea of a heavy downpour. These idiomatic expressions often draw from cultural or historical references, which makes them fascinating to explore.
Here are a few in other languages:
- French: "Il pleut des cordes." (It's raining ropes.)
- Spanish: "Está lloviendo a cántaros." (It's raining by the jugfuls.)
- German: "Es regnet in Strömen." (It's raining in streams.)
- Dutch: "Het regent pijpenstelen." (It's raining pipe stems.)
- Swedish: "Det regnar smådjävlar." (It's raining little devils.)
- Danish: "Det regner skomagerdrenge." (It's raining shoemaker boys.)
- Norwegian: "Det regner trollkjerringer." (It's raining female trolls.)
- Finnish: "Sataa kuin Esterin perseestä." (It's raining like from Ester's behind.)
- Russian: "Льёт как из ведра." (It's pouring as if from a bucket.)
- Greek: "Βρέχει καρεκλοπόδαρα." (It's raining chair legs.)
- Italian: "Piove a catinelle." (It's raining from basins.)
- Portuguese: "Está chovendo canivetes." (It's raining pocket knives.)
- Hebrew: "גשם כפרות." (It's raining frogs.)
- Czech: "Padají trakaře." (Wheelbarrows are falling.)
- Polish: "Leje jak z cebra." (It's pouring as if from a bucket.)
- Hungarian: "Mint a dézsmából." (Like from the tithe, suggesting heavy rain.)
Sentence examples
- The sky suddenly turned grey and it rained cats and dogs for 20 minutes.
- I love the sound when it rains cats and dogs.
- The road gets flooded very quickly every time it rains cats and dogs.
- It's been raining cats and dogs for almost 30 minutes and we're all waiting in the cafe entrance for it to stop.
- An umbrella isn't much help when it's raining cats and dogs—you need a hat, boots and a long raincoat too.
- It rained cats and dogs on my wedding day so we couldn't have the ceremony on the beach as we had planned.
- We're going to have to cancel the picnic—it's raining cats and dogs and therefore there's no chance the ground will dry out quickly enough.
- It was raining cats and dogs and we couldn't even see the road so we pulled off the highway and waited until the rain became lighter.
- What's that noise? It's the sound of rain on the roof—it's raining cats and dogs outside.
- We'll go outside later—it's raining cats and dogs now and I don't want to get soaking wet.
- I look like I took a shower with my clothes on! It’s raining cats and dogs outside and I forgot to bring my umbrella.
- I love the sound when it's raining cats and dogs outside.
- The weather forecast called for light rain throughout the day but it was raining cats and dogs this afternoon and there was hail too.
- I forgot my umbrella so I'll wait here at the office until it stops raining so hard—it's raining cats and dogs right now.
- You'll also need rain boots and a rain coat because it's raining cats and dogs outside.
- It’s been raining cats and dogs for two days and now there some flooding in the coastal areas.
- I love staying at home drinking tea when it rains cats and dogs outside.
- My hair is completely wet because it's raining cats and dogs outside.
- I had to buy a new umbrella today because I wore a white dress and it rained cats and dogs all afternoon.
- Don't you just love the sound when it rains cats and dogs?
- During the summer when it's very hot and humid, it frequently rains cats and dogs for about 30 minutes in the late afternoon.
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