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Definition
It's raining very hard. It's a huge downpour.
Example
\"Can you believe this weather? One moment it's sunny, and next
moment it's raining cats and dogs!\"
Origin
There are several stories of how this phrase got started. Some say it's
related to tornadoes, how it can carry away anything and drop them, but why
just cats and dogs?
Another tale says that the expression was originally \"cats and ducks\", but
later was corrupted to \"cats and dogs\". Cats are mentioned for relation to
witchcraft, and ducks for relation to water.
Yet another tale says that in old English houses, the roof is low enough
that cats and dogs can jump on there, but in a heavy downpour they'd be
washed off, and if you're inside it'd look like it's raining cats and dogs.
Warning
Do NOT be cute and try to subsitute other animals, or even specific breeds.
It's NOT funny when you say \"it's raining calicos and dobermans.\" |
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