Dear Tom,
Who came up with the phrase “it’s raining cats and dogs”?
Jim Felicelli
Dear Jim,
While the exact origin of the saying is unknown, it is widely believed that it can be traced back to northern Europe, where mythological tales linked cats and dogs to the weather to the point where it was thought that they were able to cause or influence it. English sailors blamed cats for strong winds and violent rainstorms, and in many old German drawings wind was depicted as a dog’s breath.
Eric Sloane, author of “Folklore of American Weather,” feels there is a U.S. connection and attributes the phrase to a mispronunciation of “cats and ducks.” The Pennsylvania Germans were fond of saying “it is raining to keep in the cats and bring out the ducks,” and when there was enough snow for tracking they would say “it’s snowing for cats and ducks.”
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
