Where did raining cats and dogs come from?

So, to say it's raining “cats and dogs” might be to say it's raining waterfalls. A false theory stated that cats and dogs used to cuddle into thatch roofs during storms and then be washed out during heavy rains. read more

Therefore, “raining cats and dogs” may refer to a storm with wind (dogs) and heavy rain (cats). “Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard. “Cats and dogs” may be a perversion of the now obsolete word catadupe. In old English, catadupe meant a cataract or waterfall. read more

Another suggestion is that 'raining cats and dogs' comes from a version of the French word 'catadoupe', meaning waterfall. Again, no evidence. If the phrase were just 'raining cats', or even if there also existed a French word 'dogadoupe', we might be going somewhere with this one. read more

"raining cats and dogs" came from the middle ages, when houses had thatched roofs. To keep warm lots of animals would hide in the roofs when it was raining and sometimes fell through the flimsy roofs on to the streets below. read more