Skip to main content
Urban Dictionary Merch
Your favorite words on things you can wear, drink from, read, or give to a friend.
The Urban Dictionary Store sells gifts you’ll have to explain.

raining cats and dogs 

A literal explination for raining cats and dogs is that during heavy rains in 17-century England some city streets became raging rivers of filth carrying many dead cats and dogs. The first printed use of the phrase does date to the 17th centurey, when English playwright Richard Brome wrote in The City Witt (1652): "It shall rain dogs and polecats." His use of "polecats" certainly suggests a less literal explination , but no better theory has been offered. Other conjectures are the the hyperbole comes from a Greek saying, similar in sound, meaning "an unlikely occurrence," and that the phrase derives from a rare French word, catadoupe ("a waterfall"), which sounds a little like cats and dogs. It could also be that the expression was inspired by the fact that cats and dogs were closely associated witht the rain and wind the Northern mythology, dogs often being pictured as the attendants of Odin the strom god, while cats were believed to cause storms. Similar colloquial expressions include it's raining pirchforks, darning needles, hammer handles, chicken coops, and men.
Geeze, its raining cats and dogs out there!

Raining cats and dogs 

As correctly stated, this is a literal phrase dating from 17th century England. Back in the day, peasants used what little land they owned for crops and such, so could not afford to keep cats and dogs on their land. As a result, people used to keep their animals on the thatched roofs of their cottages. When it rained heavily, the thatching became very perilous and slippery, causing the cats and dogs to fall off!
Oh golly, it sure is raining cats and dogs old chap!
Raining cats and dogs by NickR June 22, 2005

Raining cats and dogs 

We say it's raining cats and dogs when there is a heavy downpour. It simply means a heavy rain.

The saying presents an interesting image of animals falling from the sky, that doesn't seem to have much to do with torrential rain, and experts aren't certain about its origin.
The most likely and least appealing theory is that rain storms in 17th century England would carry the bodies of dead animals through the dirty city streets inspiring people to say "it's raining cats and dogs"
Example: -Sorry I'm late for work it's raining cats and dogs and the streets are flooded.
-when it rains cats and dogs, you tend to get very wet.
Raining cats and dogs by NB1906 August 29, 2022

It's raining cats and dogs 

It's raining very hard
It's raining cats and dogs outside right now

raining like cats and dogs 

A lot of rain or raining hard
Oh damn it's raining like cats and dogs outside
More from Urban Dictionary
A seemingly endless debate with a idiot
I don't know man im not ready for yap trap stupidity today which always tries to suck you into it
Yap Trap by WolfieSnack November 4, 2026
Word of the Day on November 5, 2026
Texas is categorized as a swing state in presidential elections, but has voted for Republicans more times than for Democrats in recent history. As such, as demographics change political alignments, some Democrats believe that Texas will vote blue, or Democratic, due to their Hispanic and African American voters, who often align themselves with the Democratic Party's liberal wing.

Blexas has been cited as possible in the upcoming decades, but only if Democrats continue to win the Hispanic vote in bigger margins.
Democrat 1: What is your prediction for the 2024 presidential election?
Democrat 2: Well uh, Blexas!
Democrat 1: You've been saying that since 2008 though.
Blexas by Tritonist June 14, 2021
Word of the Day on November 4, 2026

briefcake 

"Did you check out the briefcake in courtroom C?"
briefcake by Ben Frey April 6, 2006
Word of the Day on November 3, 2026
Load more