Rain cats and dogs

From Fresh Dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Verb phrase 1.1.1 Etymology 1.1.2 Synonyms 1.1.3 Translations

English

Verb phrase

to rain cats and dogs (see rain for inflections)

1. ((idiomatic{{#if:|, {{{2}}}{{#if:|, {{{3}}}{{#if:|, {{{4}}}{{#if:|, {{{5}}}{{#if:|, {{{6}}}{{#if:|, {{{7}}}{{#if:|, {{{8}}}{{#if:|, {{{9}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}})) To rain very heavily.

Etymology

Possibly derived from cases where small fish, frogs, etc. have been reported to be deposited in rainstorms. Some cases are documented in Weird, Weird Rain; they may or may not be true, but the expression derives from the belief, not the fact. See also rain dogs and cats

Synonyms

• bucket, bucket down
• chuck it down
• rain buckets
• pelt
• piss down (coarse slang)
• pour
• stream
• teem

Translations

• Catalan: ploure a bots i barrals
• Dutch: pijpenstelen regenen, regenen dat het giet
• Finnish: sataa kaatamalla
• French: pleuvoir des cordes, pleuvoir à verse, pleuvoir comme vache qui pisse, pleuvoir à boire debout, dracher (Belgium)
• German: Bindfäden regnen
• Italian: piovere a catinelle
• Interlingua: pluver torrentialmente
• Polish: leje jak z cebra
• Portuguese: chover a cântaros (Portugal), chover a potes (Portugal), chover torrencialmente, [cair um toró]] (Brazil)
• Romanian: a ploua cu găleata
• Russian: лить как из ведра
• Spanish: llover a cántaros
• Swedish: ösregna
• Vietnamese: trời mÆ°a nhÆ° trútfr:rain cats and dogs

gl:rain cats and dogs