According to the author, Melissa Harrison, in her book, Rain: Four Walks in English Weather, there are around one hundred words concerning rain here in the UK.
Rain is something we could do with at this present time. As I mentioned in a previous post, Heatwaves and Deck-Chairs, most of the South of England is gripped in higher than average summer temperatures. Once lush green lawns are turning brown and there is a threat of a hosepipe ban looming. Next week, the heat may hit 40 degrees Celsius, a new record.
A British Weather Obsession
Obsessing and moaning about the weather is one of our great British traditions; on a par with tea drinking and eating fish and chips. A survey conducted by Tetley Sunshine Tea in 2017, found that British people spend, on average, seventeen minutes a day talking about weather. The survey also found we check the weather forecast eight times daily.
With a lack of water from the heavens, and being too hot to find something else to moan about, I’ve been diving into Melissa’s brilliant book and reading about rain. If you are wondering about the title of this post, Fox’s Wedding, is a term used in Gloucestershire, Dorset, and Devon, to describe sudden drops of rain from a clear sky. Here is a short poem I put together using some of the other rain phrases mentioned.
Moor-gallop, Kelching Duke of Spain, Donk Cow-quaker, Doley Water-gall, Blunk Messengers, Fill-Dyke Bleeterie, Hash Tetchery, Sea Fret Dreik, Thunner-pash
Are you a lover or hater of rain? Please share your thoughts and have a great weekend.
I have to admit that I prefer rainy days to hot summer days. There is something soothing about a rainy day. As a note, we tend to talk about the weather a lot in the U.S. as well — at least in my part of the country. We have a saying here — If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change. I think it is a quote from Mark Twain, but I’m not sure. ☂☂
Hi Diana. I like that quote. Seems you have a similar climate to ours in the UK. I’m with you, preferring rain to the heat. Forty degrees is forecast in the next few days, which is double the seasonal average here. Have a good weekend and thanks for taking time out to read and share your thoughts.
100 words for rain – that reminds me that in cold places there are that many names for snow.
Being from Seattle, I have to say I’m pretty used to rain and it doesn’t slow me down much. But I’m surprised by the number of minutes and how many times the British check the forecast. I wonder if that’s true here?
Sorry about the heat – hope you get a break soon!
Hi, Wynne. 100 words for snow, would make a great title for a poem. We do have an unhealthy obsession for weather here in the UK. It seems to be the main topic of conversation most of the time. I love the rain and Seattle is on my bucket list of places to visit. Might be a good combination? Have a great weekend.
Davy, I hope there’s some respite very soon. Forty degrees is no joke. And so many terms for rain. That’s quite a collection. India is experiencing monsoon season right now. Where I live it’s hot and excessively humid. Much worse than dry heat. It’ll last till the beginning of September. And I think when it rains and there’s a rainbow out that’s when the foxes wed here. I’m serious. Great post and sharing! 🙂
Thanks, Terveen. I was in Mexico some years ago and experienced their excess humidity. It was not fun so know what you are facing in India must be difficult. Here’s to getting to the end of that rainbow. Have a safe and good weekend.