Jeffrey in New Bern, North Carolina, asks why right as rain means “all correct.” The expression goes back to at least the late 19th century, and it long outlasted similar alliterative phrases like right as the bank and right as nails. No one knows exactly why this one survived, but the doubled r alliterative sound probably helped, and the image of rain falling straight down makes a kind of right angle with the ground. Jeffrey’s Texas father used the phrase to confirm that something was exactly right: “Yep, that’s right, it’s rain.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Late 19th-Century Phrase “Right as Rain” May Reflect Straight-Falling Rain and Alliteration”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Jeffrey Smith from New Bern, North Carolina.
Hi, Jeffrey. Welcome to the program.
Hi, Jeffrey.
Well, there’s an expression I’ve often heard, and I just kind of wondered what is so right about rain. You know, it just seemed like, you know, I suppose if you’re in the desert, you like rain. But other than that, rain makes a lot of mud and it ruins a lot of picnics. And I was just wondering where it could have come from or why they’re so pleased with rain. Unless I’ve missed it, like a king monarch’s reign or something.
No, your original idea is the right one. It’s R-A-I-N. And so how would you hear it? What kind of situation would you be in where you’d hear that?
Well, my father’s a Texan, and he had an anecdote. You know, more of them than Carter had liver pills, and everything had to have a follow-up. Like, well, is this correct? Yep, that’s right, it’s rain. And it’s like, so he’s confirming that it’s correct. But he always added that twist. So there could be some twist that he was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Southern. And I’m Dan Yankee from, you know, Connecticut and New Jersey. And I just wondered, was it a colloquialism from Texas? Or is there some other reason for rain that I don’t know about?
No, it’s pretty old, right as rain goes back to at least the late 19th century. And there were actually a lot of expressions like this, like write as a book or write as nails or write as the bank. But this is the one that survived. And I’m thinking that it’s probably just because of the alliteration, you know, the two R’s there, write as rain. And also there may be the idea that, you know, sometimes when rain comes down, it comes straight down in a straight line. And it’s just absolutely right, you know, sort of a right angle to the earth. But we don’t really know much more about it than that. It’s a pretty straightforward term.
Well, just trying to prepare to ask you this question, you know, the thing started running around in my mind like two R’s. I never thought of it being perpendicular to the earth. I also was thinking maybe it had to do with people talk about, well, after a clean rain, everything smells fresh and it’s started and it’s nice again or something. But I thought I would serve it up to you guys and let you knock it out of the park.
Well, I don’t know if that was a bunt, but…
Jeffrey, thank you so much for your call. Call us again sometime, all right?
Okay.
Thanks for taking my call.
Bye-bye.
All right.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Jeffrey mentioned having more of something than Carter has pills. Well, Carter was a brand name and Carter sold liver pills. And you can find out more information about that and thousands of other things on our website at waywordradio.org.
