when it rains, it pours
Meaning: Bad things tend to happen together.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “First a flat tire, then a lost wallet: when it rains, it pours.”
Category: Nature
Origin: From the older proverb "it never rains but it pours," recorded from the 18th century. The American form was popularized by a salt company's advertising slogan in 1914.
Equivalents in other languages
- Galician: Chover sobre mollado — literally: To rain on what's already wet
More idioms — Nature
- Avoir le vent en poupe — To be doing very well; everything is going your way.
- Avoir la tête dans les nuages — To be a daydreamer; out of touch with reality.
- Jeter de l'huile sur le feu — To make a bad situation worse.
- faire la pluie et le beau temps — Having complete control over a situation or someone's fate.
- être une girouette — Being inconsistent, constantly changing opinions or allegiances.
- estar más claro que el agua — Something is obvious, evident, and beyond any doubt or confusion.
More English idioms
- like a headless chicken — In a frantic, disorganized way.
- a bundle of nerves — A very anxious or nervous person.
- light-fingered — Tending to steal.
- The last straw that broke the camel's back — The final small burden that causes a total collapse.
- To have a frog in your throat — To have difficulty speaking due to hoarseness.
- It's raining cats and dogs — It's raining extremely heavily.