What On Earth Is The Background For The Phrase "it''s Raining Cats And ...

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Eivind, Oslo Norway

• The phrase originated from Tudor times. At that time for most poor people the only place to keep their animals was in the house with the people - and domestic animals would often be put up in the rafters. Roofing at the time was simple thatch that dropped directly into the house so that at times of heavy downpour rain would fall through the thatch, and either flush or encourage the "pets" to return to ground level. Hence the phrase raining cats and dogs.

  Sarah, London

• Cats and dogs is a mistaken phrase for the word capadupa, which I believe is Italian for waterfall, although I do not speak the language myself. Can someone verify this for me?

  M. Burgess, Shrewsbury Shropshire

• Sadly, there seems to be no firm answer. Webster has a fanciful explanation based on mythology but since the phrase is first found in the 17th c as "dogs and polecats" and then in 1738 in its modern form, an "ancient mythology" explanation seems unlikely. There is another story in Morris of peiople seeing drowned cats and dogs in the streets after heavy rain but that is not convincing either.

  Beverley Rowe, London

• I once heard that it originated in Europe, and was caused by a combination of the poor drainage system, and the large number of stray cats and dogs. After a heavy rainstorm, a large number of these unfortunate animals were drowned and their bodies left in the streets. When the rain stopped and people emerged from their houses, they would see these animals, and it would appear that it really had rained cats and dogs.

  Jeremy Miles, Derby UK

• The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century. City streets were then filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals. Richard Brome's The City Witt, 1652 has the line 'It shall rain dogs and polecats'. Also, cats and dogs both have ancient associations with bad weather. Witches were supposed to ride the wind during storms in the form of cats. In northern mythology the storm god Odin had dogs as attendants.

  Steve Gannon, London England

• I was told this by the guide to the subterrainian caverns in Edinburgh. Bascially dead dogs and cats would be left at the side of the street or in these caverns. After a particulary heavy rainfall they would be washed out along with all the other detrius and float down the road, giving the impression that they'd fallen from the sky.

  Bob, Kemnay Aberdeenshire Scotland

• I don't know but the Welsh version, "Bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn", is equally bizzare - "Raining old ladies and sticks".

  Huw Roberts, Caerdydd UK

• I have heard it suggested that in earlier times a heavy downpour would wash accumulated rubbish down the drains which ran in the centre of the road - including dead cats and dogs.

  Don Stewart, Hexham UK

• Comes from the days of old when the cities did not maintain their streets and alleys. Through disease, animals (dogs/cats) would lie dead in the sides of streets. When the rains would come it would wash the animals down over the cobbles hence the term. From what the tour guides say it started in Edinburgh, but who really knows.

  Lorn, Edinburgh UK

• In the days before decent street drainage, drowned stray animals could often be found in the streets of cities after a storm. People would comment that it had been raining cats and dogs and the phrase caught on. This seems plausable to me anyway although I'm afraid I can't remember where I read it.

  Lucy Peacock, Malaga Spain

• In the 16th Century, houses had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, rats, and bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof-hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

  Charlie Johnston, London England

• The phrase 'raining cats and dogs' was coined by Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Nova Scotian Judge and Author who was the creator of the fictional character "Sam Slick". Slick was a Yankee Clockpeddlar from whose mouth Haliburton was able to poke fun and try to stimulate his fellow Nova Scotians beginning in 1836. Other axioms coined by Haliburton that have become commonplace in everyday speech in several English speaking countries are: truth is stranger than fiction, upper crust, quick as a wink, six of one, half a dozen of the other, the early bird gets the worm, jack of all trades and master of none, barking up the wrong tree and others. The first of his 11 books was 'The Clockmaker' which I believe is still in print, but I have not been able to locate any of the others.

  Anne Christiansen, Qualicum Beach, B.C. Canada

• I heard there was a large explosion in a Japanese car factory....after which it rained Datsun Cogs. Sorry.

  Jason, Guildford, UK