Idioms in English

by Kurushina Anastasia

Joined Apr 2023
Published Books 1

In English, talking about the weather is a common small talk topic.

But you might hear someone say that they’re “feeling under the weather” or they want to “take a rain check.”

These are idioms that aren’t actually about the weather at all, so don’t take them literally!

Under the weather — плохо себя чувствовать. Используйте эту идиому, когда вы испытываете легкое недомогание или устали после тяжелого рабочего дня. The term originally came from the phrase “under the weather bow.” (In this phrase, “bow” rhymes with “cow.”)

The “weather bow” was the part of a ship that was getting hit with bad weather, such as heavy rain or storms. Sailors would go below deck so they wouldn’t get seasick. In other words, they would be “under the weather bow.”

Weather the storm-идиома означает пережить опасное событие или эффективно справиться с трудной ситуацией.

This one can be a little confusing. When we say “weather” in English, we’re usually talking about how hot or cold it is outside, or whether it’s rainy, snowy, windy or sunny.

“Weather” can also be a verb (action word), though.

In the idiom “weather the storm,” the word “weather” means “to get through” or “to survive.” “The storm” in this phrase could be any difficult time or challenge.

Put it together, and this idiom means to survive a difficult challenge.

So, you might say:

“Fred is going through a hard time right now, but he’ll weather the storm.”

Saving for a rainy day– беречь на черный день. Под дождливым днем в данном случае подразумеваются какие-то непредвиденные проблемы, к которым человек пытается быть готовым.
Rain is back to being unpleasant in this idiom. A rainy day is when things are going wrong.

“Here’s That Rainy Day” is a well-known English song, originally from the 1950s. In the song, the “rainy day” is a love affair that ended badly.

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