How do you use "Raining cats and dogs" in a sentence?

Take an umbrella — it's raining cats and dogs out there. The game got canceled because it was raining cats and dogs. We were stuck inside all weekend because it was raining cats and dogs.

Raining cats and dogs

Q: What does "Raining cats and dogs" mean?

Raining very heavily; a torrential downpour. One of the most recognizable American idioms, used to describe extremely heavy rain. While the expression exists in British English too, it's particularly entrenched in American speech. It's considered somewhat cliché and old-fashioned by younger speakers, who might say 'pouring' instead.

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common informal

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Significado: Raining very heavily; a torrential downpour.

下大暴雨；倾盆大雨。

Llover a cántaros; un diluvio torrencial.

非常に激しく雨が降ること。土砂降り。

비가 매우 심하게 내리는 것. 폭우, 억수같은 비.

One of the most recognizable American idioms, used to describe extremely heavy rain. While the expression exists in British English too, it's particularly entrenched in American speech. It's considered somewhat cliché and old-fashioned by younger speakers, who might say 'pouring' instead.

这是最广为人知的美国习语之一，用来形容特别大的雨。虽然英式英语中也有这个表达，但在美式英语中尤为根深蒂固。年轻人觉得这个说法有点老派和幼稚，他们更倾向于说'pouring'。

Una de las expresiones estadounidenses más reconocibles, usada para describir una lluvia extremadamente intensa. Aunque la expresión también existe en inglés británico, está especialmente arraigada en el habla estadounidense. Los hablantes más jóvenes la consideran algo anticuada o cliché, y suelen decir simplemente «pouring» en su lugar.

アメリカで最もよく知られたイディオムの一つで、極めて激しい雨を表す。イギリス英語にも存在するが、アメリカ英語では特に定着している。若い世代にはやや古くさく聞こえることもあり、彼らは単に「pouring（土砂降り）」と言うことが多い。

매우 심한 비를 묘사할 때 쓰는 가장 유명한 미국 관용구 중 하나이다. 영국 영어에도 존재하지만 미국 영어에서 특히 많이 쓰인다. 젊은 세대에게는 다소 진부하고 구식으로 여겨져 단순히 'pouring'이라고 말하는 경우가 많다.

Ejemplos

Take an umbrella — it's raining cats and dogs out there.
带把伞吧——外面下倾盆大雨呢。
Llévate un paraguas — está lloviendo a cántaros ahí fuera.
傘を持っていきなよ——外は土砂降りだよ。
우산 가져가 — 밖에 비가 억수같이 쏟아지고 있어.
The game got canceled because it was raining cats and dogs.
因为下大暴雨，比赛取消了。
El partido se canceló porque estaba lloviendo a mares.
土砂降りで試合が中止になった。
비가 너무 세게 와서 경기가 취소됐어.
We were stuck inside all weekend because it was raining cats and dogs.
整个周末都在下大雨，我们只能待在家里。
Estuvimos encerrados todo el fin de semana porque no paró de llover a cántaros.
週末ずっと土砂降りで、家から出られなかった。
주말 내내 비가 억수같이 와서 밖에 나갈 수가 없었어.

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: weather, casual conversation

Tono: descriptive, dramatic

✓ Correcto

It's raining cats and dogs!
外面下倾盆大雨！
¡Está lloviendo a cántaros!
土砂降りだ！
비가 억수같이 쏟아지고 있어!
It was raining cats and dogs all afternoon.
整个下午都在下大暴雨。
Estuvo lloviendo a mares toda la tarde.
午後ずっと土砂降りだった。
오후 내내 비가 억수같이 왔어.

✗ Incorrecto

Can sound old-fashioned or childish to some — younger Americans tend to just say 'pouring' or 'dumping rain'
对有些人来说可能听起来过时或幼稚——年轻的美国人通常直接说'pouring'或'dumping rain'
Puede sonar anticuado o infantil para algunos — los estadounidenses jóvenes tienden a decir simplemente «pouring» o «dumping rain».
古くさい、子供っぽいと感じる人もいる——若いアメリカ人は単に「pouring」や「dumping rain」と言う傾向がある
다소 구식이거나 유치하게 들릴 수 있다 — 젊은 미국인들은 그냥 'pouring'이나 'dumping rain'이라고 말하는 편이다

Origen e historia

Origin debated. One theory from 17th-18th century England: heavy rains would wash dead animals through the streets, making it look like they'd fallen from the sky. The phrase has been common in American English since the colonial period.

Contexto cultural

Era: 1600s-present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

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