It's raining cats and dogs!
The origin of this expression is somewhat dodgy. One possible explanation is that in 17th century Britain, after a cloudburst the gutters would overflow with a filthy torrent that included dead animals. Another explanation is that the expression is derived from mythology where witches, in the shape of cats, rode with the wind, and that the Norse god Odin controlled the rain (through his dogs). My favourite though, is that Johnathan Swift wrote the sentence “I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs” in the book "Complete Collection of Polite and Ingenious Conversation" in 1738.
Cover of the New Yorker
Well, enough of this... The reason for me bringing up this topic is that it REALLY rained cats and dogs today. We had been at All Bar One in the City, having our traditional Friday beers. Robert, Harald and me decided to go to Farringdon and have a good meal at Pizza Express. (Don't let the name fool you, it's a really nice place with good food and nice interior) It was raining a light, dusky rain when we walked towards the restaurant. Suddenly, the sky just opened, and the wind changed to storm in 1.2 seconds. I've lived in rainy Haugesund practically all my life, but I have NEVER experienced anything like this. The umbrellas didn't stand a chance, and the wind made us all soaking wet in no time. Luckily Harald managed to grab a cab before we drowned...
As you might suspect, we all survived, and I'm now safe and sound in my flat. Tomorrow we're going to the Norwegian Seamen's Church to se Norway's match against the Czech Republic in one of two play off games, to decide which team will play in the World Cup next year in Germany. Harald is also celebrating his birthday tomorrow, so after the game we'll go to T.G.I. Friday's. For a while it was a dream for us to go to Prague for a week to celebrate his birthday and see the 2nd leg of the play off, but economic and curricular considerations ensured it remained a dream... After all, I'm going back to Haugesund next weekend anyway. And I'm really looking forward to it!
Cover of the New Yorker
Well, enough of this... The reason for me bringing up this topic is that it REALLY rained cats and dogs today. We had been at All Bar One in the City, having our traditional Friday beers. Robert, Harald and me decided to go to Farringdon and have a good meal at Pizza Express. (Don't let the name fool you, it's a really nice place with good food and nice interior) It was raining a light, dusky rain when we walked towards the restaurant. Suddenly, the sky just opened, and the wind changed to storm in 1.2 seconds. I've lived in rainy Haugesund practically all my life, but I have NEVER experienced anything like this. The umbrellas didn't stand a chance, and the wind made us all soaking wet in no time. Luckily Harald managed to grab a cab before we drowned...
As you might suspect, we all survived, and I'm now safe and sound in my flat. Tomorrow we're going to the Norwegian Seamen's Church to se Norway's match against the Czech Republic in one of two play off games, to decide which team will play in the World Cup next year in Germany. Harald is also celebrating his birthday tomorrow, so after the game we'll go to T.G.I. Friday's. For a while it was a dream for us to go to Prague for a week to celebrate his birthday and see the 2nd leg of the play off, but economic and curricular considerations ensured it remained a dream... After all, I'm going back to Haugesund next weekend anyway. And I'm really looking forward to it!
posted by Pandaen at
11.11.05
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