wen ɪt reɪnz ɪt pɔːrz
Nature & Weather
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- Rain comes not lightly but in torrents
What does "when it rains it pours" mean?
- Bad (or good) things tend to happen all at once
- Events cluster together, especially misfortunes
Examples
- First my car broke down, then I lost my job—when it rains, it pours.
- I got three job offers in one week. When it rains, it pours!
- When it rains, it pours—everything happened at once.
Origin
Proverb appearing in various forms since the 1720s. Made famous by Morton Salt's slogan in 1911.
How to use it
Usually about misfortunes but can describe good luck too.
Similar expressions
troubles come in bunches
feast or famine
all at once
Opposites
steady stream
even distribution
Related idioms
- out of the blue
Unexpectedly; without warning
- beat around the bush
To avoid talking about the main point of a conversation
- every cloud has a silver lining
There is something positive in every negative situation
- go with the flow
To accept things as they are and adapt accordingly
- once in a blue moon
Very rarely; almost never
- tip of the iceberg
A small visible part of a much larger hidden problem
Use it in a practice answer
Try "when it rains it pours" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.