Raining cats and dogs? Brits have 17 ways to describe a downpour – and some are downright bizarre

From ‘mizzling’ and ‘stair rods’ to the mysterious ‘black over Bill’s mother’s’, a new dictionary analysis reveals some of Britain’s strangest weather expressions and why we love talking about the rain

It never rains but it pours when it comes to the British weather – or, more precisely, the number of ways we have to describe it.

A new study by English-learning app Glite has identified 17 rain-related words and phrases in its dictionary, including several that might leave even lifelong British speakers scratching their heads.

Among the more unusual entries are ‘mizzling’, meaning very light rain, and ‘coming down in stair rods’, an old-fashioned expression for a particularly heavy downpour.

Then there is ‘Scotch mist’, used to describe fine, persistent rain, and no fewer than four versions of the familiar observation that it is lovely weather for ducks.

The findings come from a search of Glite’s dictionary of 243,703 words, covering idioms, verbs and expressions associated with rainfall.

One of the strangest is ‘black over Bill’s mother’s’, a traditional expression used when dark clouds are gathering and rain appears imminent.

Its origins remain uncertain, although variations involving Bill or Will have been recorded across different parts of England for generations. The Oxford English Dictionary traces a version of the saying to at least 1930.

Other expressions are more straightforward. Rain might be ‘spitting’ when only a few drops are falling, ‘bucketing down’ when the heavens open, or ‘pelting’ and ‘sheeting’ when conditions become particularly unpleasant.

Glite also identified variations on familiar phrases, including ‘rain buckets’, ‘bucket down’ and the verb ‘bucket’, illustrating how several entries can describe essentially the same weather.

Vassili Philippov, its chief executive, said: “English is full of colourful expressions that we use every day without really thinking about them. From ‘bucketing down’ to ‘mizzling’, there are so many different ways to describe something as ordinary as rain.”

And there may be a reason why British people are so fond of discussing the weather in the first place.

Stephanie Davies, the founder of workplace training and behavioural consultancy Laughology, said talking about rain provided an easy way to start conversations with strangers without straying into potentially awkward territory.

“The weather is a handy opening with people we don’t know well: neighbours, fellow commuters, or new colleagues. It’s especially useful when we haven’t yet worked out what someone likes talking about,” she said.

“It’s a shared experience that usually doesn’t require anyone to reveal something personal. Asking about someone’s family, job, or weekend can accidentally land somewhere sensitive. The rain generally doesn’t require an explanation of your divorce.”

The 17 ways Britons describe rain

From a little ‘mizzle’ to a downpour coming down in ‘stair rods’, here are the 17 rain-related words and expressions identified in Glite’s dictionary – including several variations on familiar sayings.

1. Come down
2. Rain buckets
3. Come down heavily
4. Bucket down
5. Rain cats and dogs
6. Lovely weather for ducks
7. Weather for ducks
8. Scotch mist
9. Nice weather for ducks
10. Fine weather for ducks
11. Bucket (verb)
12. Black over Bill’s mother’s
13. Come down in stair rods
14. Pelt (verb)
15. Spit (verb)
16. Mizzle (verb)
17. Sheet (verb)

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_{Main image: From ‘mizzling’ to ‘raining cats and dogs’, Brits have 17 different ways to describe wet weather, according to a new dictionary analysis. Credit: StockSnap / Pixabay}