Where did the phrase "raining cats and dogs" originate?

Question

Its been raining a lot where i live lately and i keep hearing people say that phrase. I became curious on how some one thought that up. If you dont know but know a website that i could look it up on that would be great!

Answer 1

http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html

The phrase Finder. Here, you will find a number of origins to choose from. This is one of those websites that, once you have found the phrase you are looking for, you will think of another and search it, and another, and so on. Such is the nature of our curiosity, and as such is the wonder of the availability of the answers on the Internet.

Answer 2

Rain cats and dogs is a hackneyed phrase meaning to rain very heavily. The expression probably dates from the eighteenth century and has been a cliche since the middle of the nineteenth century. It is still widespread today, in informal contexts, as befits a climate where the phenomenon is extremely common. The origin of the expression is uncertain. One suggestion is that in the days before there was efficient street drainage, cats and dogs could drown in the gutter during a heavy downpour.

Answer 3

No one knows for sure:
"There are three possible origins, one of which goes back to Norse times. In old Norse weather lore the cat was related to rain and the dog to the wind. If this were the origin then it is likely that the words would have appeared in print before 1653.
The second suggestion puts the basis in the Greek word Catadupa, "cataract" or "waterfall".
The final idea suggests that the drainage of medieval streets was so poor that cats and dogs frequently drowned during a heavy downpour. Swift's "Description of a City Shower" (1710) gives a good idea of what it was like. It's worth repeating."

Answer 4

Where did the expression "raining cats and dogs" originate? Well, one plausible theory is that the expression originated in 17th century England in reference to a common tragedy. Drainage systems were not the same then as they are now and during heavy downpours of rain, the gutters would overflow with cats and dogs and other small animals that had drowned. The situation gave the appearance that it had literally rained "cats and dogs."

Answer 5

Will ask an information service for you In Norse mythology cats were said to have power over rain (especially at sea) Dogs were symbolic of the Wind God Odin. Cats and Dogs brought Wind and Rain.

Answer 6

It does sometimes rain cats and dogs and frogs and so on, when a tornado or cyclone picks up animals and dumps them in another spot. Tornados can "suck up" whole swamps and then it rains frogs and salamanders and maybe muskrats.