Question: I have heard the expression "right as rain" for years. What does it really mean? Why is rain "right"?
Answer:
Many of our common phrases and sayings come from a time, not long ago, when the majority of people in the North America and Europe still lived in close contact with nature. Only a couple of generations ago, most agriculture depended on rain since irrigation was not as prevalent. The life of everyone in a village, town, or city depended on the success of the local crops which in turn depended on spring and summer rains. Rain was essential to survival. No crops equaled famine. No rain meant no crops. "Right as rain" thus means needed, appropriate, essential, or hoped-for. The expression "right as rain," meaning perfect, well, absolutely right, appears first in 1894.
Learn More From These Books Chosen by The Weather Doctor
Williams, Jack: The Weather Book, 1997, Vintage Books, ISBN 0-679-77665-6.
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