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 of idioms, proverbs and sayings in many languages
People who have contributed to this section
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
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
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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