Take a rain check

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Meaning

To postpone an offer or plan for later, holding off with a promise to revisit.

Origin

From 19th-century America, tied to baseball; rainouts gave fans 'rain checks' for future games, slang by 1884 for delays. An 1896 'Chicago Tribune' uses it for a missed lunch.

Variants

  • Rain check
  • Take a rain

Usage Examples

  • Can't make dinner; mind if I take a rain check?
  • She took a rain check on the movie night.
  • I'll take a rain check on that hike; too tired!

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