ORLANDO, Fla. – The expression “it’s raining cats and dogs” has a prolonged historical past. While some might marvel if it originated from an precise weird climate occasion prior to now, there aren’t any information supporting such an incidence.
Rather than a documented occasion, the phrase’s origin stays the topic of assorted theories. One chance is its connection to Norse mythology.
Norse mythology depicts Odin, the god of storms, alongside dogs and wolves representing wind, whereas witches using brooms throughout storms had been typically accompanied by black cats, symbolizing heavy rain.
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Another concept suggests a connection to the phrase “catadupe,” which in old English referred to a cataract or waterfall. This phrase had counterparts in numerous historic languages, reminiscent of Latin and classical Greek. Therefore, saying it’s raining “cats and dogs” would possibly metaphorically suggest that it’s raining waterfalls.
The earliest recorded utilization of the phrase dates again to 1651, credited to British poet Henry Vaughan in his assortment of poems titled “Olor Iscanus,” the place he referred to a safe roof as being impervious to “dogs and cats rained in shower.”
Shortly after, in 1652, playwright Richard Brome used an analogous phrase in his comedy play “Citty Witt,” mentioning “rain dogs and polecats,” with polecats being frequent in Britain on the time.
However, the phrase gained widespread recognition in 1738 when Jonathan Swift included it in his satire “Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversations,” the place a personality fears raining cats and dogs, subtly mocking the higher class.
Despite makes an attempt by different writers to introduce different phrases like “raining pitchforks” or “raining stair rods,” Swift’s utilization prevailed. Notably, Swift had beforehand used the time period in a poem from 1710, “City Shower,” describing floods that left useless animals within the streets after heavy rainfall.
Additionally, the phrase might stem from the Greek expression “cata doxa,” that means opposite to perception, implying that if it’s raining cats and dogs, it’s raining unbelievably laborious.
A debunked concept as soon as speculated that cats and dogs sought shelter in thatch roofs throughout storms, solely to be washed out throughout heavy rains. However, correctly maintained thatch roofs are naturally water resistant and slanted to permit water runoff, making it unlikely for animals to hunt shelter on the surface throughout a storm.
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