"It's raining cats and dogs" is one of those English phrases that makes perfect sense until you stop and think about it. Why cats? Why dogs? And why would either have anything to do with a downpour?
The truth is, nobody knows exactly where the phrase came from. Etymologists have proposed several explanations over the years, ranging from Norse mythology and old Greek expressions to an obsolete word meaning "waterfall". There is even a rather entertaining theory involving cats and dogs hiding in thatched roofs, although that one has been debunked. What we do know is that versions of the phrase were appearing in British literature by the 17th century.
Why do we say "it's raining cats and dogs"?
There are several theories about how cats and dogs became associated with exceptionally heavy rain. None has been conclusively established, so these are best treated as possible explanations rather than fact.
1. The Odin, dogs and wolves theory
One explanation takes us back to Norse mythology. Odin, the Norse god associated with storms, was often depicted with dogs and wolves, which were symbols of wind. Meanwhile, witches were traditionally associated with black cats and were said to ride their broomsticks during storms.
According to this theory, dogs represented the wind and cats represented heavy rain. Put the two together and you have a particularly wild storm, or "raining cats and dogs".
2. The Greek expression "cata doxa"
Another theory traces the phrase to the Greek expression "cata doxa", meaning "contrary to experience or belief".
The thinking here is that if it is "raining cats and dogs", the rain is falling with such unusual force that it seems almost unbelievable. It is an intriguing explanation, although there is no conclusive evidence showing that "cata doxa" actually evolved into the English expression.
3. The old word "catadupe"
Then there is the now-obsolete word "catadupe". In Old English, it referred to a cataract or waterfall. Related forms existed in older languages too, including the Latin "catadupa", which came from the classical Greek word associated with the cataracts of the Nile.
The theory suggests that "cats and dogs" could somehow have developed from this older word, with the expression essentially describing rain falling from the sky like a waterfall. Again, it is a theory, not a settled origin.
4. The thatched roof theory
This is probably the version many people have heard before, and it is also the one that is easiest to dismiss.
The story goes that cats and dogs would take shelter in thatched roofs during storms and could then be washed out by heavy rain. The problem? A properly maintained thatched roof is naturally water-resistant and designed so that rain runs off it. For an animal to actually slide off the roof, it would have to be sitting on the outside of it during a storm, which is hardly the most sensible place for a cat or dog looking for shelter.
The Library of Congress therefore identifies this as a false theory.
Where did "it's raining cats and dogs" first appear?
While the exact origin remains a mystery, the phrase does have a surprisingly traceable literary history.
Henry Vaughan's "Olor Iscanus"
One of the earliest recorded versions appeared in 1651, in British poet Henry Vaughan's collection Olor Iscanus. Vaughan described a roof as being secure against "dogs and cats rained in shower".
It was not quite the phrase we use today, but it is an important early appearance of the same unusual combination of animals and rain.
Richard Brome's "City Witt"
Just a year later, in 1652, English playwright Richard Brome used another variation in his comedy City Witt: "It shall rain dogs and polecats."
Polecats are related to weasels and were common in Great Britain until the end of the 19th century. So while Brome was not using the exact modern expression, the idea was clearly taking shape.
Jonathan Swift helps make it popular
The phrase became much more recognisable in the 18th century. In 1738, Jonathan Swift published Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, a satire on the conversations and manners of the upper classes. One of the characters says it will "rain cats and dogs".
It is not clear whether Swift invented the expression or was simply using something already familiar. Either way, his use of it is thought to have helped push the phrase into wider popular use.
Other British writers also came up with colourful ways of describing torrential rain, including "raining pitchforks" and "raining stair-rods", referring to the way heavy rain can appear like long, straight shafts. But Swift's version was the one that stuck.
Swift's "City Shower" may offer another clue
There is another interesting Swift connection. His 1710 poem A Description of a City Shower describes the aftermath of heavy rain in London, including floods that carried dead animals through the streets.
That does not prove the poem gave birth to "it's raining cats and dogs". However, the imagery has led to the suggestion that scenes of dead animals being swept along by floodwater may have contributed to the expression or at least to its association with heavy rain.
So, what is the real origin of "raining cats and dogs"?
There isn't a definitive answer. The phrase can be traced to British writing from at least the 17th century, but why those particular animals ended up in the expression remains unknown.
The Odin theory, "cata doxa", "catadupe" and the old thatched-roof story all offer explanations, but none has been conclusively proven. What is certain is that "it's raining cats and dogs" has survived for centuries as one of English's most memorable ways of saying that it is raining exceptionally heavily.
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