(as) cold as charity
Meaning: very cold; icy.
Example: “The room was as cold as charity.”
Focused Idiom Category
Weather Idioms
Weather idioms use rain, storms, clouds, sunshine, cold, heat, wind, or changing conditions to describe feelings and situations. Although the wording comes from the atmosphere, the meaning may concern happiness, difficulty, uncertainty, alertness, cancellation, or sudden change. This page contains only established expressions with a clear weather image, keeping broader nature idioms in a separate collection. Each card gives a short meaning and a complete example sentence on the same focused page. The A–Z navigation helps readers locate an expression quickly, and related categories offer further language about nature, emotions, and problems. Weather imagery is widely understood and highly visual, so these idioms appear often in conversation, news, stories, and informal workplace English. Learning them also helps readers recognise when familiar weather words are being used figuratively rather than literally.
8Relevant idioms
A
A Idioms
2 entriesany port in a storm
Meaning: a phrase indicating that when one is in difficulties one must accept any way out, whether one likes the solution or not.
Example: “I don’t want to live with my parents, but it’s a case of any port in a storm.”
C
C Idioms
1 entriescatch the sun
Meaning: to become sunburnt.
Example: “The baby’s face is red—she’s caught the sun.”
G
G Idioms
1 entriesget cold feet
Meaning: to become timid or frightened.
Example: “I usually get cold feet when I have to speak in public.”
K
K Idioms
1 entrieskeep a weather eye open
Meaning: to watch for something; to be on the alert; to be on guard.
Example: “Keep a weather eye open.”
O
O Idioms
1 entrieson cloud nine
Meaning: very happy.
Example: “When I got my promotion, I was on cloud nine.”
R
R Idioms
1 entriesrain cats and dogs
Meaning: to rain very hard.
Example: “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
T
T Idioms
1 entriestake the wind out of someone’s sails
Meaning: to put an end to someone’s boasting or arrogance and make the person feel embarrassed; to take an advantage away from someone.
Example: “That took the wind out of his sails.”
Helpful Answers
Frequently asked questions
What is a weather idiom?
A weather idiom is a fixed expression using rain, clouds, storms, sun, cold, heat, wind, or other atmospheric imagery figuratively.
Are weather idioms literal?
Usually not. The weather image often describes a mood, difficulty, change, warning, or result instead of actual conditions.
Why are weather idioms common?
Weather is familiar, changeable, and easy to visualise, making it a powerful source of metaphors in many languages.
Are they different from nature idioms?
Yes. Weather idioms focus on atmospheric conditions, while nature idioms cover land, sea, plants, fire, water, and other environmental images.
How can learners practise them?
Compare the literal weather picture with the figurative meaning, then use the idiom in a realistic non-weather situation.
