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[0543] When it rains, it pours

🎲 In hot water
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • When problems or difficulties occur, they tend to happen close together or simultaneously; bad things often come in clusters.

Origin

  • The underlying idea that misfortunes cluster is ancient and universal (Misery loves company).
  • The specific phrasing likely relates to the weather phenomenon where a light shower can suddenly become a heavy downpour.
  • Its popularity was significantly boosted by the Morton Salt company's advertising slogan, When It Rains It Pours, starting in 1914. The slogan referred to their salt's ability to pour freely even in damp weather (unlike clumpier salts), but ironically, the phrase is now almost exclusively used for negative situations.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • It never rains but it pours. (Older, slightly more formal variant, perhaps more UK).
  • Trouble comes in threes. (A folk belief).
  • One thing after another.
  • A run of bad luck.

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • It's just one thing after another.
  • Everything's going wrong at once.
  • Having a shocker. (UK/Aus slang for a very bad time/day)
  • The universe is really kicking my ass today.

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • It's a total shitstorm. / Clusterfuck.
  • When it rains, it fucking pours.
  • Everything's turning to shit simultaneously.

Milder:

  • We seem to be facing multiple issues concurrently. (Formal)
  • Experiencing a series of setbacks.
  • It's been a challenging period.

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal to semi-formal. Very common in everyday conversation.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • The metaphorical meaning related to problems (not weather) is generally well-understood.

Examples

  • First, the car broke down, then I lost my wallet, and now the boiler's packed up. When it rains, it pours!
  • The company lost its biggest client, and then three key employees resigned. When it rains, it pours.

Dialogue

Raj: My flight was delayed by three hours this morning.

Chloe: Oh, that's annoying.

Raj: And then I got to the hotel, and they'd lost my reservation.

Chloe: You're kidding! When it rains, it pours, huh?

Raj: Seriously. I'm just waiting for the locusts now.

Social Media Examples

  • Facebook Post: Laptop died, phone screen cracked, and just got a parking ticket. When it rains, it pours! 😩 Can this week be over already? #BadLuck #Murphy'sLaw #SendHelp
  • Tweet: Major project deadline moved up, team member called in sick, and the coffee machine broke. When it rains it pours... #WorkLife #Stress

Response Patterns

  • Oh no, that's awful!
  • You're having a terrible time.
  • Tell me about it.
  • Sounds like Murphy's Law in action. (Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.)
  • That's rough.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing someone use the expression:

  • Express sympathy: I'm so sorry you're going through all that.
  • Ask for more details (if appropriate): What else happened?
  • Offer support: Is there anything I can do? or Hope things start looking up soon.

The person using the expression might:

  • List the various problems they are facing.
  • Express feelings of being overwhelmed or unlucky.

Conversation Starter

  • No. Used to comment on a series of negative events that have already happened or are happening.

Intonation

  • Often said with a sigh or a tone of weary resignation or disbelief.
  • Stress falls on RAINS and POURS. When it RAINS, it POURS.

Generation Differences

  • Widely understood and used by all generations.

Regional Variations

  • Common in all major English-speaking regions. The variant It never rains but it pours might be heard more often in the UK.
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