Raining buckets

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Meaning

Pouring down heavily, a deluge.

Origin

From 19th-century Britain, tied to bucket spills; slang by 1880s for downpours. An 1884 'Pall Mall Gazette' uses it for a gale.

Usage Examples

  • It's raining buckets; grab an umbrella!
  • Raining buckets all day; roads are swamps.
  • The sky opened, raining buckets on us.

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