It's "Raining Cats and Dogs" - Say What?!
Clip: Season 2023 | 3m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
What does "raining cats and dogs" have to do with Vikings?
When someone says “It’s raining cats and dogs” they mean it’s raining really hard. But where does that saying come from? You might be surprised to learn it involves the Vikings, cats and magic tails, waterfalls, and straw roofs in this episode of Say What?!
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Camp TV is a local public television program presented by THIRTEEN PBS
It's "Raining Cats and Dogs" - Say What?!
Clip: Season 2023 | 3m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
When someone says “It’s raining cats and dogs” they mean it’s raining really hard. But where does that saying come from? You might be surprised to learn it involves the Vikings, cats and magic tails, waterfalls, and straw roofs in this episode of Say What?!
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[upbeat music] - [Narrator] What does someone mean when they say, "It's raining cats and dogs"?
- [Kid 1] No idea.
- [Kid 2] I don't know.
- [Kid 3] The raindrops falling look like cats and dogs.
- [Kid 4] It means that it's raining very hard, like it's pouring.
[buzzer dings] [crowd cheers] - [Narrator] Exactly.
[thunder booms] A huge rainstorm, but why do people say that?
[Vikings shouting] [dramatic music] One idea goes back to the time of the Vikings.
- [Viking] I have a cool hat.
- [Narrator] Vikings believed dogs symbolized really strong wind.
[thunder cracks] Their god of storms, named Odin... - [Odin] Some say I'm the inspiration for Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings."
- [Narrator] ...was often pictured with dogs and wolves.
- [Odin] Who's a good boy?
Who's really windy?
[dog barks] - [Narrator] Now combine that with sailors, who often thought cats had some control over the weather... - [Sailor] In bad storms, me thinks me sees a cat riding on the back of a witch's broom!
- [Narrator] ...or the myth that cats could, stick with me now, - [Sailor] use magic in their tails to cause heavy rain.
- [Narrator] So it's possible that saying "raining cats and dogs" means a storm with a lot of rain and heavy wind.
[dog barks] [thunder booms] [gentle music] Another idea is that "cats and dogs" may be a watered-down version... - [Umbrella] Rain pun!
- [Narrator] ...of the old English word "catadupe," which meant waterfall.
It's possible that, over time, "catadupe" turned into "cats and dogs."
[lively music] [birds chirping] And another idea is that cats and dogs used to curl up in the straw roofs of houses during storms, and sometimes get washed onto the ground.
[cats meowing] [dogs barking] - [Villager] Honey, it's raining cats and dogs again.
[jaunty music] - [Narrator] The first time a phrase like "raining cats and dogs" appeared in print was way back in 1651.
The Welsh poet, Henry Vaughan... - [Vaughan] A bit stormy out there!
- [Narrator] ...described a roof that was... - [Vaughan] ...secure against dogs and cats rained in a shower.
- [Narrator] So we know this saying has been around for a while.
- [Vaughan] Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, do we have time for a joke?
- [Narrator] Um.
- [Vaughan] Great.
Why should you be careful when it rains cats and dogs?
- [Narrator] Uh, I don't know.
Why?
- [Vaughan] Because you might step in a poodle.
[rimshot plays] [crowd groans] - [Narrator] So, the next time you're caught in the middle of a bad rainstorm, maybe you'll find yourself thinking about the Vikings, or cats and magic tails, or waterfalls, or straw roofs, or maybe you've got your own idea.
[lively music] [dog barks] [cat meows] [exciting music] [exciting music continues]
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