Look up rain cats and dogs in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The English-language idiom " raining cats and dogs " or " raining dogs and cats " is used to describe particularly heavy rain. It is of unknown etymology and is not necessarily related to the raining animals phenomenon. [1]
The term raining cats and dogs derives from Victorian times when street drainage was so poor that pets left on the streets would drown during rain storms. After the rainfall, the dead cats and dogs strewn across the streets made it appear as though it had been raining cats and dogs. A Competing Theory The term raining cats and dogs derives from Victorian times when household pets, like cats ...
What is the meaning of the phrase ‘raining cats and dogs’? The phrase ‘raining cats and dogs’ is an idiom, and not a metaphor, and as such is not meant to be taken literally. So, you can forget about the image of cats and dogs falling from the sky, it’s not relevant.
Raining Cats and Dogs – Meaning, Origin & Usage - History of English
If you've ever uttered the phrase, "It's raining cats and dogs," you may have thought it was a bizarre way to describe heavy rainfall. After all, it conjures images of cats and dogs tumbling from the sky. While cats and dogs may not literally be falling from the sky, they may have inspired the phrase.
Why We Say It's 'Raining Cats and Dogs' When It's Literally Not
“Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard. “Cats and dogs” may be a perversion of the now obsolete word catadupe. In old English, catadupe meant a cataract or waterfall.