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Martin, you look disappointed. Our outdoor picnichas been cancelled. Is that because it is raining
cats and dogs?
Wait, Julia, are
animals really falling from the sky?
No, that is our first weather idiom. It simplymeans that it is raining very heavily.
Welcome to your English toolbox.
Today, we are learning four useful English idiomsabout weather.
They come from lesson 16 of our free idiom toolboxcourse. On our website,
you can listen to a dialogue and practice theexpressions in
interactive exercises. The direct link to thelesson is in this episode's description.
Now, let us return to that very wet picnic. It israining cats and dogs.
That means the rain is very heavy. You would notnormally use it for a few light drops.
You might say, take an umbrella. It is rainingcats and dogs.
It is a colorful, informal expression.
You can also say, it is pouring, to describe heavyrain.
I checked the weather and the picnic is definitelycancelled. That is
disappointing, but every cloud has a silverlining. That sounds beautiful, but what does it
mean? It means a difficult or
disappointing situation can have a positive side.
For example, we cannot have a picnic outside, butnow we have time to cook together.
Exactly, and that is our silver lining. You do notneed to talk about actual clouds.
Someone might lose one opportunity and discover abetter one later.
Still, it is wise to be sensitive when someone isfacing a serious loss.
A hopeful expression can sound dismissive if theother person needs us to listen first.
Now, Julia, I have another problem.
What happened? Two friends are arguing because thepicnic blanket was the wrong color.
That sounds like a storm in a teacup. Is therereally a storm inside a cup of tea?
No, it means a lot of worry or anger aboutsomething relatively unimportant.
This is a common British expression. In AmericanEnglish, you may also hear a tempest in a teapot.
But be careful when you use it.
Calling something a storm in a teacup suggests youthink the problem is small.
The people involved may not agree with you. Ourlast expression is under a cloud.
Does that mean standing outside on a cloudy day?Not in this idiom.
It means that a person is regarded with suspicionor disapproval.
For example, a manager left the company under acloud after questions about missing money.
That does not by itself prove the person didanything wrong.
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It tells us that suspicion or disapproval waspresent.
Notice that under a cloud is different from underthe weather.
We met under the weather in our health episode andit means feeling unwell.
Under a cloud is about suspicion or disapproval.
Here is one more contrast before the quiz.
If a friend has a cold, they might say, I amfeeling under the weather.
If a public figure is viewed with suspicion,someone might say that person is under a cloud.
One describes health and the other describes howothers regard someone.
Although both expressions mention weather, theirmeanings are different.
Let us hear two examples that are not about apicnic.
A delivery arrived late, but the customerdiscovered that the shop had included a free
sample.
The free sample might be a silver lining to thedelay.
In another situation, a neighborhood spends weeksarguing over a tiny change to a sign.
Someone who thinks the argument is excessive mightcall it a storm in a teacup.
Remember that this is the speaker's opinion aboutthis problem.
The person making that comment may not know everyreason why the issue matters to the neighbors.
Use the idiom when the size of the reaction isclearly the point you want to discuss.
Now, let us practice.
The rain is extremely heavy and you need anumbrella.
Which idiom describes the rain?
It is raining cats and dogs.
Two people are making a huge argument about a tinyproblem.
What might you call it?
A storm in a teacup.
And if a disappointing change leads to a pleasantsurprise?
Every cloud has a silver lining.
For more examples, a slow dialogue and interactivepractice, visit lesson 16 of our free idioms
course.
The direct link is in the description.
Thanks for learning with your English toolbox.
See you next time.
