English weather idioms

In the United Kingdom you just never know what the weather is going to be like, the British love to complain about the weather but it can certainly be said that the weather here is rarely boring and never lacks variety! Looking out of my window while I write this blog post its been rainy, windy, sunny and cloudy and that is just in the last 2 hours! So its not surprising that the English language has lots and lots of English weather idioms that are used all the time, here are some of the main ones below.

Come rain or shine

Whatever happens or whatever the weather.

“I’ll be at the theatre tomorrow, come rain or shine – I wouldn’t miss your debut performance for the world.”

Save up for a rainy day

To save money for a time that you might need it (during an emergency, for example).

“I try to save about 10% of my salary for a rainy day. You never know when you might need it.”

 Snowed under

If you’re “snowed under”, you’ve got too much work to do and not enough time.

“I’m completely snowed under at work this week. Can we meet up sometime next week?”

 Put something on ice

If you “put something on ice”, you delay or postpone it.

“We’ve put the project on ice until we’ve spoken to the bank about getting the loan.”

 The tip of the iceberg

If something is “the tip of the iceberg”, it’s only a small part of it.

“What I told you is just the tip of the iceberg – there’s a lot more to it than you could possibly imagine.” 

Have your head in the clouds

Someone who “has their head in the clouds” isn’t being practical or realistic.

“You’ve got your head in the clouds if you think they’re going to accept all these changes.” 

A cloud on the horizon

A “cloud on the horizon” is a problem or something that is worrying you and that will happen in the future.

“Things are going well. The only cloud on the horizon is that dental appointment I’ve got next week. I’m dreading it!” 

The calm before the storm

A quiet or peaceful period just before an argument or fight.

“She got in early to work and sat down to have a relaxing cup of coffee before the meeting so she could enjoy the calm before the storm.”

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