# Beating The Devil's Wife

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 3, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227 "2002-08-03T22:29:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227/1 "2002-08-03T22:29:14Z")

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The other day a buddy and I were looking outside when it was raining while the sun was still out. He said, “The devil’s beating his wife.” Now, I’ve often heard this phrase, but what’s the origin of it?

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227/2 "2002-08-03T22:35:14Z")

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This question was asked about a year ago (by me), but no satisfactory answer was offered. I Googled the hell out of this question, but got nowhere.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227/3 "2002-08-03T22:48:25Z")

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According to [this](http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/1999/06/25.html) page, the expression originated in Hungary.

[This](http://www.emich.edu/~linguist/issues/9/9-1795.html) one has a large collection of such sayings.

My WAG is that it is an extract from a folk tale that has lost it’s context.

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**Author:** ![Melan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Melan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melan)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227/4 "2002-08-06T02:42:40Z")

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Mangetout is right, it is a Hungarian saying, although a pretty archaic one. It isn’t used in everyday speech anymore.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227/5 "2002-08-06T04:15:50Z")

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[http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-mon2.htm](http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-mon2.htm)

If you read Mr. Quinion’s take on the matter, it might help. Or it may just bring up more questions.

Read the whole article. It starts out as if it isn’t what we are talking about. But it gets there.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beating-the-devils-wife/122227/6 "2002-08-06T10:11:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Melan \*  
> \*\*Mangetout is right, it is a Hungarian saying, although a pretty archaic one. It isn’t used in everyday speech anymore. \*\*

Funny…my girlfriend (Hungarian) uses it. Although usually in the context of “In Hungary we say when it is raining and sunny at the same time, the devil is beating his wife.” Maybe they’re a bit behind in the 16th district of Pest. 🙂