14 Common Sayings That Have a Bizarre Origin

5. Raining Cats and Dogs

Meaning: Raining heavily or a torrential rain

Origin: In the 1500s, people who lived in thatched roofs didn’t want their pets shitting in their homes and so they were always kept outside, but the animals would keep themselves warm in the thatching on the roofs. When it rains, the animals would either get washed off of the roof or would come leaping down looking for better cover. Then townsfolk would look out their window, see pets falling from the sky, and proclaim it to be “raining cats and dogs.”

6. Piss Poor

Meaning: Very poor

Origin: In the old days, urine was used to tan animal hides. Families would pee in one pot throughout the day and at the end of the day, when the pot was full of urine, it was sold to the tannery. This was how people who were very poor got nicknamed “piss poor.”

Next Page: More Common Sayings that Have a Bizarre Origin