Dictionary

rain cats and dogs en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Unknown, but see examples of early use in Citations.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, impersonal) To rain very heavily.
   • ["]Those weather-gaws aren't out for nothing. It'll rain cats and dogs to-morrow." Marigold wondered what weather-gaws were—and then forgot in thinking how interesting it would be in it really rained cats and dogs. Little silk-eared kittens everywhere by the basketful—loads of darling pudgy puppies. 1929, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, “Marigold Entertains”, in Magic for Marigold, Toronto, Ont.: McClelland and Stewart, →OCLC, section 4, page 190:

Forms

Deriveds

cats and dogs

Relateds

come down in stair rods

Synonyms

teem · rain buckets · come down cats and dogs · chuck it down · rain pitchforks · pour cats and dogs · stream · pour · pelt · bucket down · piss down · bucket · tip it down · piss it down · storm cats and dogs

Translations (76)

pt chover canivete (to rain very heavily) · fr pleuvoir des cordes (to rain very heavily) · fr dracher (to rain very heavily) · sk liať ako z krhly (to rain very heavily) · pt cair um toró (to rain very heavily) · fi sataa kuin saavista kaataen (to rain very heavily) · it piovere come Dio la manda (to rain very heavily) · uk ллє як з відра (to rain very heavily) · yue 落狗屎 (to rain very heavily) · bg вали́ из ведро́ (to rain very heavily) · fr pleuvoir des hallebardes (to rain very heavily) · ko 비가 억수같이 내리다 (to rain very heavily) · it piovere a catinelle (to rain very heavily) · cs padat trakaře (to rain very heavily) · el ρίχνει καντάρια (to rain very heavily) · es llover a mares (to rain very heavily) · vi (trời) mưa như trút (to rain very heavily) · hu zuhog, mintha dézsából öntenék (to rain very heavily) · sv stå som spön i backen (to rain very heavily) · ja 土砂降りになる (to rain very heavily) · es caer un palo de pluvia (to rain very heavily) · gl chover a cachón (to rain very heavily) · fr pleuvoir à seaux (to rain very heavily) · nb høljregne (to rain very heavily) · fr pleuvoir à boire debout (to rain very heavily) · es llover reciamente (to rain very heavily) · gl chover a Deus dar auga (to rain very heavily) · az tut ucundan, göyə çıx (to rain very heavily) · es jarrear (to rain very heavily) · it diluviare (to rain very heavily) · vi (trời) mưa xối xả (to rain very heavily) · gl diluviar (to rain very heavily) · fi sataa kaatamalla (to rain very heavily) · fi sataa äkäisiä ämmiä äkeet selässä (to rain very heavily) · tr bardaktan boşalırcasına yağmak (to rain very heavily) · cs lít jako z konve (to rain very heavily) · fr pleuvoir à verse (to rain very heavily) · nn ausregne (to rain very heavily) · pt o céu vir abaixo (to rain very heavily) · es caer chuzos de punta (to rain very heavily) · br Gwelet a ran da gazh er jardin (to rain very heavily) · ru лить как из ведра́ (to rain very heavily) · pt chover canivetes (to rain very heavily) · bg вали́ като из ведро́ (to rain very heavily) · cmn 傾盆大雨 /倾盆大雨 (to rain very heavily) · is rigna eldi og brennisteini (to rain very heavily) · gl chover a caldeiros (to rain very heavily) · ar أَمْطَرَ بِغَزَارَة (to rain very heavily) · ca ploure a bots i barrals (to rain very heavily) · nl pijpenstelen regenen (to rain very heavily) · nn høljeregne (to rain very heavily) · es diluviar (to rain very heavily) · ga sceana gréasaí a chur (to rain very heavily) · nb høljeregne (to rain very heavily) · ka კოკისპირული წვიმა (to rain very heavily) · ro ploua cu găleata (to rain very heavily) · de Bindfäden regnen (to rain very heavily) · es chaparrear (to rain very heavily) · ia pluver torrentialmente (to rain very heavily) · it scrosciare (to rain very heavily) · es llover a cántaros (to rain very heavily) · pt chover a potes (to rain very heavily) · es llover copiosamente (to rain very heavily) · eo pluvegi (to rain very heavily) · nan-hbl 㴙㴙落 (to rain very heavily) · gl arroiar (to rain very heavily) · el βρέχει με το τουλούμι (to rain very heavily) · cmn 暴雨如注 (to rain very heavily) · nb regne sinte kjerringer (to rain very heavily) · el ρίχνει καρεκλοπόδαρα (to rain very heavily) · es caer un palo de lluvia (to rain very heavily) · pl lać jak z cebra (to rain very heavily) · pt chover a cântaros (to rain very heavily) · tr şakır şakır yağmur (to rain very heavily) · cy bwrw hen wragedd â ffyn (to rain very heavily) · gl chover a chuzos (to rain very heavily)