Raining “cats & dogs”
Where did this expression come from?
In Europe you’ve probably seen the pictures of the homes that
had thatched roofs. The folks knew the left over hay could
provide insulation to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
They would use the hay to thatch their roof and recycle but
it also provided practical benefits.
Most families also had pets such as dogs and cats they kept in
and around their homes. The homes were built many times against the
side of a hill so the pets could easily access the top of the house
and nestle in the thatched roof. This provided them with warmth,
especially in the cold blistery winter.
The process of constructing the roof was to take mud and put wet
mud on the support and then put handfuls of bundled straw/hay into
the mud. As the mud dried out the thatch would stay in fitting nice
and tight.
This was fine until a big gully washer of a rain came and the
animals were nestled inside the thatch trying to stay dry. If the
rain was torrential it was not uncommon for the now dry mud to become
wet and give way to the rain and the weight of the pet on the top of
the roof.
If you were inside when that happened you were subject to it
“raining cats and dogs” as you had to be careful of falling pets!
Hope you enjoyed today’s short history lesson. Please leave your comments below and enrich our blog. We love personal interaction, even if it’s just thru the computer! Have a good one.
Reader Comments
thats pretty cool Bob!……………….you know I keep all these little dittys of yours in a special file in my computer….they are priceless.
this is such an interesting site! Thanks for sending this; I have always wondered where the “raining cats and dogs” comes from. Now I know! I’ve never heard this in Europe, where I come from.
Britt
Every time I get one of these little treasures it brightens my day.I’m so glad I moved to WF and met y’all at the herbfest! Thanks for welcoming yet another yankee to the south!
This and several other stories sent out by Bob are folklore. Please quit spreading these stories.
The cats and dogs origin is explained as part of this article: http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/1500.asp
I love learning things like this. It’s not likely to increase my knowledge of the universe, but it adds flavor to the daily life that I lead.
Thanks for that.
Toni Ledford