English · Idiom Historical

it is raining cats and dogs

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Very heavily. I know Sir John would go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Cats Dogs Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “it is raining cats and dogs” mean?

Very heavily. I know Sir John would go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs.

Is “it is raining cats and dogs” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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