Word Geek: weather phrases that just don’t translate

A favourite British pastime is, of course, talking about the weather. With this in mind, Word Geek has been looking into the weird and wonderful ways different languages talk about the elements. Every language has its quirky idiom for the weather that, translated literally, can sound a bit bizarre. Here are some of our favourites.

When it rains animals, and other things…

English has the phrase it’s raining cats and dogs, but what does the rest of the world say is falling from the sky?

• French: il pleut comme vache qui pisse – it’s raining like a peeing cow 
• Portugese: nem que chova canivetes – not even if it rains pocket knives
• German: es regnet Bindfäden – it’s raining strings 
• Danish: det regner skomagerdrenge – it’s raining cobbler boys
• Greek: ρίχνει καρεκλοπόδαρα (ríhnei kareklopódara) – it’s raining chair legs
• Dutch: het regent pijpenstelen – it’s raining pipe handles
• Estonian: say sajab nagu oavarrest – it’s raining like from a bean stem

Nordic wisdom for winter weather 

When it comes to winter weather, Scandinavian countries have a whole host of unusual sayings. Norway for example refers to a heavy snowfall with massive, fluffy snowflakes as snø trollkjerringer, snowing female trolls. While in Sweden, det som göms i snö, kommer upp i tö, literally translated as what is hidden in snow comes up in the thaw, is used to describe a situation when the truth comes to the surface. And when it comes to whether bad weather has ruined your day, they have it settled with the phrase det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder, there is no bad weather, only bad clothes.

When the weather passes judgement

Some languages don’t just describe the weather, they also let it pass judgement. In Spanish, a strong sun can sometimes be called a sol de justicia, literally translated as a sun of justice, meaning one that beats down on everybody equally, whether you’re prepared for it or not. The phrase seems to be less of a weather report and more of a verdict on society!

These phrases are a reminder that even when it comes to something as universal as the weather, while the experience may be the same, the language we use for it is anything but.

So next time you’re caught in a downpour, take a moment to think, somewhere else in the world, someone may be dodging chair legs, cows or cobbler boys! 😉

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