Indian summer
Meaning: A period of warm weather in autumn; also a late, happy period in life.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Her fifties were an Indian summer of travel and painting.”
Category: Nature
Origin: An American term recorded from the late 18th century. Why "Indian" is uncertain; theories link it to Native American hunting seasons or to the hazy weather in regions where Native peoples lived. Some now prefer other terms.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: L'été indien — literally: The Indian summer
More idioms — Nature
- drag someone's name through the mud — To damage someone's reputation publicly.
- as old as the hills — Extremely old.
- can't see the forest for the trees — Too focused on details to understand the whole situation.
- find one's sea legs — To get used to a boat's movement; to grow comfortable in a new situation.
- storm clouds are gathering — Trouble is coming.
- terra firma — Solid ground, as opposed to the sea or the air.
More English idioms
- an old hand — Someone with long experience at something.
- one thing led to another — A series of events happened, each causing the next, often with a hint that something emba…
- Ariadne's thread — Something that guides one through a complicated problem.
- the end justifies the means — A good result excuses any way of achieving it.
- sweet-talk — To persuade someone with flattery.
- get on the wrong side of — To make someone angry or hostile toward you.