It's raining cats and dogs

It's raining cats and dogs - from: http://www.memecenter.com/fun/1390959/it-amp-039-s-raining-cats-and-dogs

Idiomatic expressions for heavy rain in many different languages.

The origins of the English expression, It's raining cats and dogs, are uncertain, though the most likely source is a satirical poem by Jonathan Swift, A Description of a City Shower, first published in Tatler magazine in 1710. The poem includes the lines "Drown'd Puppies, stinking Sprats, all drench'd in Mud / Dead Cats and Turnip-Tops come tumbling down the Flood." [More details]

Language Idiom
Arabic ('iinaha tumtir qutta wakillabana) انها تمطر قططا و كلابا
It's raining cats and dogs
Afrikaans Ou vrouens met knopkieries reen
It's raining old women with knobkerries (clubs)
Aromanian Vearsã cu gãleata
It's pouring with the bucket
Basque Euria goian-behean ari du
It's raining from top to bottom
Euria barra-barra ari du
It's pouring with rain
Euria adarka ari du
It's raining horns
Euria purrustaka ari du
It's raining profusely
Belarusian Лье як з вядра (ĺje jak z v′adra)
Bulgarian Вали като из ведро (Vali kato iz vedro)
It's raining like from a bucket
Catalan Està plovent a bots i barrals
It's raining barrels and casks
Chinese (Cantonese) 倾盆大雨 (kíngpùhn daaihyúh) basin-bending big rain (frm)
落狗屎 (lohk gáusí) dog poo is falling (inf)
Chinese (Mandarin) 下傾盆大雨 [下倾盆大雨] (xìa qīngpén dàyǔ)
Basin-bending big rain is falling
Cornish Yma hi ow kul glaw kathes ha keun
It's raining cats and dogs
Croatian Lije k'o iz kabla
It's raining like from a bucket
Czech Padají trakaře
It's raining wheelbarrows
Lít jako z konve
It's pouring buckets
Danish Det regner skomagerdrenge
It's raining shoemakers' apprenticies
Det står ned i stænger
There are rods standing right down
Dutch Het regent pijpestelen
It's raining pipestems
Het regent oude wijven
It's raining old women
Het komt met bakken uit de lucht
It falls with buckets from the sky
English It's raining cats and dogs
It's raining buckets
It's raining stair rods
It's raining pitchforks
It's raining elephants & giraffes
It's pelting (it) down
It's bucketing (it) down
It's chucking (it) down
It's pissing/peeing (it) down
It's tipping (it) down
It's a frog strangler (Australian)
It's a frog strangling gully washer (Australian)
It's a frog strangling downpour (Australian)
Estonian Sajab nagu oavarrest
It's raining like from a beanstalk
Faroese Tað regnar av grind
It's raining pilot whales
Finnish Sataa kuin saavista kaataen
It's pouring like from a big bucket
Sataa kuin Esterin perseestä
It's raining as from Esteri's ass / It's raining like Esther sucks
French Il pleut des grenouilles
It's raining frogs
Il pleut des cordes
It's raining ropes
Il pleut des hallebardes
It's raining halberds
Il pleut des clous
It's raining nails
Il pleut à seaux
It's raining buckets
Il pleut comme vache qui pisse
It's raining like a pissing cow
German Es gießt
It's pouring
Es regnet Schusterjungs
It's raining shoemakers
Es regnet junge Hunde
It's raining puppies
Es regnet in Strömen
It's raining in streams
Es regnet wie aus Kübeln
It's raining like out of buckets
Es regnet wie aus Eimern
It's raining like out of buckets
Es regnet Bindfäden
It's raining twine
German (Swiss) Es schiffet wiä d'Sau!
It's peeing like a sow
Greek Βρέχει καρεκλοπόδαρα (Brékhei kareklopódara)
It's raining chair legs
Haitian Creole Chyen ap bwe nan nen
Dogs are drinking in their noses
Hebrew (yoréd mabúl) יורד מבול
A flood is coming down
Hungarian Úgy esik, mintha dézsából öntenék
It's raining as if it were poured from a tub
Icelandic Það rignir eld og brennustein
It's raining fire and brimstone
Það er eins og hellt sé úr fötu
It's pouring like out of a bucket
Irish (Gaelic) Tá sé ag gleadhradh (báistí)
It's pelting (with rain)
Tá sé ag stealladh fearthainne / báistí
It's pouring rain
Tá sé ag caitheamh sceana gréasaí
It's throwing cobblers knives
Tá sé ag cur de dhíon is de dheora
It's roaring and tearing
Italian Piove a catinelle
It's raining like from basins
Piove a dirotto
It's raining excessively
Piove che Dio la manda
It's raining [as if] God sends it
Japanese 土砂降りである (doshaburi de aru)
Earth and sand are falling
Kannada ಹುಛುಛಗಿ ಪಲೆ ಬರ್ಥ ಎದೆ (huchuchagi male bartha ede)
It's raining like mad
Korean 비가 억수같이 쏟아진다
Rain is pouring down like a torrential downpour.
Latvian Gāž kā ar spaiņiem
It's pouring like from a bucket
Līst kā pa Jāņiem
It's raining like in Jāņi
Lithuanian Pila kaip iš kibiro
It's pouring like from a bucket
Macedonian Паѓа дожд како од крбла (Pagja dožd kako od krbla)
It's raining like from a tub.
Maltese Infetħu bibien is-sema
The doors of heaven have opened up
Marathi पाउस खुप जोरात पडतोय (Pāōse khup jorāt paḍtoy)
Mongolian Хувингаар цутгах мэт бороо орч байна
(Khuvingaar tsutgah met boroo orch baina)
Rain is coming down like it's pouring from a bucket
Norwegian Det regner trollkjerringer
It's raining female trolls
Polish Leje żabami
It's pouring frogs
Leje jak z cebra
It's raining like from a bucket
Portuguese Está chovendo a cântaros
It's raining jugs
Está chovendo a canivetes
It's raining penknives / switchblades
Está chovendo a barba de sapo
It's raining toads' beards
Chove como Deus a dá
It rains like God gives it
Romanian Varsă cu găleata
It's raining buckets
Plouă cu găleata
It's pouring buckets
Russian Льёт как из ведра (Liyot kak iz vedra)
It's pouring down like from a bucket
Scottish Gaelic Tha an t-uisge cho garbh ris na faochagan
The rain is as rough as whelks
Tha an dìle bhàite ann an ceart uair
The torrential downpour is in full swing
Tha an dìle 's an deàrrsach ann
It's raining and shining
Tha e a' toirt mìrean ás an talamh
It's taking chunks from the ground
Tha e a' toirt bainne dha na mucan-mara
It's giving milk to the whales
Serbian Пада киша као из кабла (Pada kiša kao iz kabla)
It's raining like from a bucket
Пада киша уби миша (Pada kiša, ubi miša)
The rain falls and kills the mice
Slovak Leje ako z krhly
It's flowing like from a watering can
Padajú traktory
Tractors are falling
Slovenian Lije kot iz škafa
It is raining like pouring from the bucket
Spanish Está lloviendo a cántaros
It's raining in jugfuls
Está lloviendo a cubos
It's raining pikes
Está lloviendo a chuzos
It's raining pikes
Está lloviendo a mares
It's raining seas
Está lloviendo a torrentes
It's raining in torrents
Estan lloviendo hasta maridos
It's even raining husbands
Swedish Det spöregnar
It's raining like rods
Det ösregnar
It's raining like ladles
Regnet står som spön i backen
The rain stands like rods in the hillside
Thai ฝนตกไม่ลืมหูลืมตา (fǒn tòk mâi luem hǔu luem taa)
It's raining ears and eyes shut
Turkish Sicim gibi yağmur yağıyor
It's raining like long strings of rope
Bardaktan boşanırcasına yağmur yağıyor
It's raining as if it's leaving the glass
Ukrainian Ллє як із відра (Llje jak iz vidra)
It's pouring like from a bucket
Vietnamese Mưa thối đất thối cát
Rain until sand and soil turn to mud
Mưa nặng hạt
Rain with big drops
Mưa lớn
Big rain
Welsh Mae hi'n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn
It's raining old ladies and sticks
Mae hi'n bwrw cyllyll a ffyrc
It's raining knives and forks
Mae hi'n bwrw fel o grwc
It's raining like from a bucket
Zulu Lishaya uzamcolo
Rain is pouring down

books   Books of idioms, proverbs and sayings in many languages

People who have contributed to this section

Weather-related words and phrases in various languages.

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.

Links

Rain-related idioms, sayings and proverbs
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-rai1.htm
http://www.oh-i-see.com/blog/2014/01/27/culture-smart-is-the-rain-in-spain-the-same/
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/rain_proverbs_sayings.html
http://www.cmos.ca/weatherlore.html
https://vividchinese.com/weather-related-chinese-idioms/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12931/15-international-idioms-describe-heavy-rain


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It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | It's small world | When pigs fly | Out of sight, out of mind | Crystal-clear | Penny Pinching | Practice makes perfect | The grass is always greener | As Snug as a Bug in a Rug

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