Art, obsession, and identity
An old Scots dialect, "carries" are swiftly moving clouds. It's derived from "cairy," a local name for a burden or a load to be conveyed.
An old Irish-English word, "drouth" means the perfect weather conditions in which to dry clothes. It was borrowed into American English in the 19th century, later becoming another name for a drought.
Believed to come from an even older French dialect, "armogan" is 19th-century naval slang for good weather. Basically the perfect weather for starting a journey out at sea.
In Victorian English, rainbows were nicknamed "bows of promise," due to one of the verses in the Book of Genesis.
Pronounced as "benji," the word comes from an old southeastern English dialect meaning "overcast" or "threatening rain." Another theory suggests that it might derive from the older word "benge," meaning "to drink to excess."
To "blenky" is an 18th-century word that means "to snow very lightly." It's believed to come from an even earlier word, "blenks," which means ashes or cinders.
"Hen-scartins" is an old northern English word for long, thin cloud streaks, which are supposed to forecast rain. It literally means "chicken scratches."
Apparently, if the weather is "foxy," then it's misleadingly bright. Which means sunny and clear, but freezing cold.
If the weather "flenches," then it looks like it might improve later, but never actually does. It's a very useful word in some parts of the world.
Dating back to the 17th century, "gleen" is a sudden burst of warm sunshine. It's most likely related to an old Scandinavian word, glene, meaning "a clear patch of sky."
On top of meaning "to run around frantically," "halta-dance" is also a heat haze.
When the weather is "gleamy," then it's intermittently sunny. A 19th-century glossary described it as "fitful and uncertain."
A "messenger" is when sun rays shine through gaps in thick clouds.
"Moonbroch" is an old word from the north of Scotland for a hazy halo of cloud around the night moon. It was supposedly a sign of bad weather to come.
"Lawrence" is believed to have been derived from an old myth that Saint Lawrence of Rome was martyred by being burnt alive. Considered now the patron saint of cooks and restaurateurs, "Lawrence" has also been an American dialect word for a shimmering heat haze since the early 1900s.
"Mokey" describes dull or dark weather conditions. It's derived from"moke," an old northern English word for the mesh part of a fishing net.
"Mare’s tails" are cirrus clouds, which are long with thin wisps. They are traditionally said to hint at good weather.
"Monkey’s wedding" is South African slang for sun-shower, a period of simultaneous sunshine and rain. One theory suggests it could derive from the earlier phrase "monkey’s wedding-breakfast," which means "a state of confusion." It could also be a vague translation of the old Portuguese saying casamento de raposa, meaning "vixen's wedding," which is also used to describe sun-shower.
In 1851, Charles Dickens described a proverb of how Queen Victoria would always bring good weather on her official visits. This proverb was actually the expression "queen's weather."
"Pikels" are heavy drops of rain. The word itself is an old Lancashire dialect for "pitchfork." The local saying "to rain pikels with the tines downwards" means to rain very heavily indeed.
"Sugar-weather" is a 19th-century Canadian word for warm days and cold nights. Basically, the perfect weather conditions to start the sap flowing in maple trees!
"Smuir" is an old Scots word meaning "choke" or "smother." It later came to refer to stiflingly hot weather conditions.
"Water-dogs" is a cute word for small rain clouds hanging individually below a larger cloud above.
"Sunwade" is an old Yorkshire word for a haze of cloud around the sun.
Another old Scottish word, "sunblink" is a word used to describe a single glint of sunshine.
Sources: (Mental Floss) (BBC)
See also: How the moon influences our weather
"Twirlblast" is an old 18th-century name for tornados. Another synonym from the same period is "twirlwind."
An old southeastern English word, "swullocking" means "sultry" and "humid." If the sky looks "swullocking," then it looks like there's an incoming thunderstorm.
"Wethergaw" is an old Scots nickname for a rainbow. It also means a glimpse of light and beauty between days of gloom.
"Hunch-weather" is an 18th-century name for bad weather, such as rain and strong winds, that makes people hunch over when they walk.
There's no denying it: people love to talk about the weather. Whether it's small talk with a stranger or chitchatting with a co-worker, comments about the weather pop up all the time. And with all of this weather talk, a number of related words have appeared, predominantly in British English. But it's not all about rain! From hot weather to freezing temperatures, you'd be surprised by the richness of weather-related words, such as "hunch-weather" and "mares's tails."
And even if they're no longer in use, you might consider introducing them into your vocabulary. Curious? Check them out!
Weather words we no longer use
Such as "hunch-weather" and "mares's tails"
LIFESTYLE Weather
There's no denying it: people love to talk about the weather. Whether it's small talk with a stranger or chitchatting with a co-worker, comments about the weather pop up all the time. And with all of this weather talk, a number of related words have appeared, predominantly in British English. But it's not all about rain! From hot weather to freezing temperatures, you'd be surprised by the richness of weather-related words, such as "hunch-weather" and "mares's tails."
And even if they're no longer in use, you might consider introducing them into your vocabulary. Curious? Check them out!