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Preserved but no longer current.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.
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.