Is raining cats and dogs an idiom?

The English-language
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Wasei-eigo (和製英語, meaning "Japanese-made English" or "English words coined in Japan") are Japanese-language expressions based on English words, or parts of word combinations, that do not exist in standard English or whose meanings differ from the words from which they were derived.
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idiom "raining cats and dogs or raining dogs and cats" is used to describe particularly heavy rain
. It is of unknown etymology and is not necessarily related to the raining animals phenomenon. The phrase (with "polecats" instead of "cats") has been used at least since the 17th century.
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Is raining cats and dogs an idiom or metaphor?

The phrase raining cats and dogs means that it is raining very hard. It is an idiom used to indicate that there is a torrential rainstorm going on. One would use this expression when it is raining very hard and heavily over an extended period of time.
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What type of phrase is raining cats and dogs?

It's raining cats and dogs is an idiom which means it's raining extremely heavily. The origin of the phrase raining cats and dogs is steeped in mystery.
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Is raining cats and dogs an idiom or hyperbole?

"It's raining cats and dogs" is an idiomatic expression and not a hyperbole.
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What is idioms of cat and dog?

rain cats and dogs: to rain very heavily. Notes: When we say it rains heavily or rains cats and dogs we mean it rains a lot at a particular moment in time. The opposite is a small amount of rain: light rain or rains lightly or drizzles.
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Learn / Teach English Idioms: It's raining cats and dogs!



What are examples of idioms?

Common Idioms in English
  • Getting fired turned out to be a blessing in disguise. ...
  • These red poppies are a dime a dozen. ...
  • Don't beat around the bush. ...
  • After some reflection, he decided to bite the bullet. ...
  • I'm going to call it a night. ...
  • He's got a chip on his shoulder. ...
  • Would you cut me some slack? - Don't be so hard on me.
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Is raining like cats and dogs a simile?

The statement "It's raining cats and dogs" is not a metaphor, which is a comparison of two unlike things. Instead, the phrase is an idiom,...
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Is hyperbole the same as an idiom?

Main Difference – Hyperbole vs Idiom

Hyperbole and Idioms are two devices whose figurative meanings are important than their literal meaning. Idiom is a phrase or a fixed expression whose figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration in a literary work.
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Is an idiom also a metaphor?

Idioms and metaphors have some similarities, but they are not the same thing. An idiom can have a figurative and literal meaning, while a metaphor is a figure of speech that refers to one thing to show a fact about another thing.
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Is raining cats and dogs a personification?

It's raining cats and dogs. You're as sweet as sugar. You just studied 7 terms!
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What is the difference between idioms and metaphors?

An idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (Examples: barking up the wrong tree, once in a blue moon, see the light ). A metaphor is an expression representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.
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How do you use idiom in a sentence?

How to use Idiom in a sentence
  1. An idiom to describe heavy rain is, "it's raining cats and dogs!" ...
  2. However, with few exceptions, the cottages are styled within the vernacular revival idiom. ...
  3. Through these two dancers, the classical idiom truly becomes a language, which they utter with utmost expressive clarity.
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Where did the idiom raining cats and dogs come from?

The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century. City streets were then filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals. Richard Brome's The City Witt, 1652 has the line 'It shall rain dogs and polecats'. Also, cats and dogs both have ancient associations with bad weather.
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What is the literal meaning of idiom?

1 : an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for "undecided") or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way)
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What is the difference between an idiom and a saying?

An idiom is an expression made by grouping words together to mean something that is different from the literal meaning of the phrase or saying. Phrases can be taken literally while idioms are not literal in their meaning but figurative. Idioms can also be called colloquial metaphors.
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Are similes and metaphors idioms?

Note: An idiom, a metaphor and a simile, all are figurative language. The difference lies in the fact that an idiom is a saying or a phrase that is used to describe a situation, a metaphor is an indirect comparison to describe something. And a simile is a direct comparison.
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Are idioms similes?

An idiom is a phrase or saying that means something other than what it actually says. Those shoes are “a dime a dozen.” It means that the shoes are very common and easy to get. A simile makes a comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”. She is as “pretty as a picture.” He “eats like a pig.”
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Is simile a type of idiom?

A simile is a type of idiom. It likens one thing to another thing. Similes often contain as … as or like. As … as similes (e.g. as heavy as lead, as strong as an ox) always begin with an adjective and are easy to understand, even if you don't know the meaning of the noun which follows.
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Are idioms figures of speech?

An idiom is a figure of speech that means something different than a literal translation of the words would lead one to believe.
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What is the difference between an idiom and a colloquialism?

Idiom is also a synonym for dialect, a way of speech particular to a geographical area that has specific vocabulary, syntax, and grammar. Finally, it can be used to describe a method of expression particular to a person, time period, or object. A colloquialism is a phrase that has risen from verbal speech.
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What is an example of a hyperbole?

Those who hear or read the hyperbole should understand that it is an exaggeration. You've probably heard common hyperboles in everyday conversations such as “I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse,” “I've seen this movie a hundred times,” or “It cost an arm and a leg.”
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What figure of speech is he kicked the bucket?

Euphemism. A euphemism is the use of agreeable or inoffensive words to replace rude or offensive ones. For example: kicked the bucket = has died.
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How do I find an idiom?

6 Websites for Learning English Idioms
  1. The Phrase Finder. This website has a large number of American idiomatic expressions not only with their meanings but also with their origins. ...
  2. Vocabulary.co.il: Idioms and Slang. ...
  3. The Free Dictionary: Idioms and Phrases. ...
  4. Open English World. ...
  5. The Idiom Connection. ...
  6. Learn English Today.
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What are the 25 idioms?

Let us now learn about the 25 most common and useful Idioms in the English language:
  • Under the weather. Meaning - To feel sick. ...
  • The ball is in your court. ...
  • Spill the beans. ...
  • Pull someone's leg. ...
  • Sit on the fence. ...
  • Through thick and thin. ...
  • Once in a blue moon. ...
  • The best of both worlds.
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