While there are technical terms a weatherman may use to describe the forecast on TV, English speakers around the globe have adopted their own turns of phrases for what they see outside their windows. The next time you’re making small talk about the clime, here are some classic weather-related expressions to sprinkle into the conversation.
The Dead of Winter
When the days are shortest and the temperatures are coldest, you’re right in the dead of winter. In much of the Northern Hemisphere, where winter is a time when the Earth quite literally stops growing, with most vegetation dormant, this expression from the 1600s makes perfect sense. “In the dead of,” in general, refers to any time that is silent or still, such as, “In the dead of the night.”
Hot as Hades
When the temperature soars, you may describe the weather as "hot as hell," or "hot as fire." Those expressions are evolutions of “hot as Hades,” the ancient Greek name for both the god of the underworld and the underworld itself. Eventually, Hades and hell were conflated to mean the same thing, applying a burning heat to the formerly temperature-neutral Hades.
Raining Cats and Dogs
This Victorian-era idiom is used to describe a heavy downpour, but the origin is just as cloudy as the sky before a storm. One possible (but grim) theory relates to poor sewer drainage surfacing deceased animals when water overflowed, giving the impression of pets that had fallen from the sky. If that one makes you shiver, rest assured there are plenty of other theories, including one that suggests it's an evolution of the archaic French word for waterfall, “catadupe.”
Blowing Dogs off Chains
A blustery, windy day may be described in this way — the idea being that even a four-legged friend could get swept away with all that gusty air. This term hails from Australia and is still in use among sailors used to dealing with rough winds.
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