# Simple English Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451 "2002-12-04T15:44:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/1 "2002-12-04T15:44:14Z")
When I want to describe days where there is much rain, should I use “raining days” or “rainy days?” I used to think “rainy days” is it, bu then the Marriam-Webster’s gives “a period of want or need” as the definition for “rainy day.” Please help. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/2 "2002-12-04T15:45:40Z")
Rainy days ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/3 "2002-12-04T15:48:30Z")
wet weather is sometimes used as well rainy days is spot on:) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/4 "2002-12-04T15:55:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > **I used to think “rainy days” is it, but then the Marriam-Webster’s gives “a period of want or need” as the definition for "rainy day."** In this context, “rainy day” is what’s known as an _ **idiom** _ - a speech form or an expression that is peculiar to itself grammatically or _cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements_, as in “keep tabs on” (paraphased from _American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language_). Now, just because “rainy day” happens to be an idiom in English does NOT mean that the adjective “rainy” plus the noun “day” CANNOT be combined to mean something other than “a period of want or need”. It’s still acceptable to exclaim “It sure has been a rainy day” when it’s actually been raining outside all afternoon. Consider another idiom, “red herring”. Though _the idiom_ normally means “a false clue”, there’s nothing wrong with describing a dish of paprika-covered herring as “red herring” if one wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/5 "2002-12-04T15:58:06Z")
Merriam-Webster is giving the figurative definition of _rainy day_, as in the term _rainy day fund_. The literal definition of _rainy day_ means just what you think, a day when it rains a lot. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/6 "2002-12-04T16:00:13Z")
I would suggest ‘period of sustained inclement weather’. That should do the trick. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/7 "2002-12-04T16:02:23Z")
Thanks all. **XJETGIRLX** , ACK! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/8 "2002-12-04T16:20:49Z")
I think the m-w definition goes with the quote “save it for a rainy day”, meaning to put something aside and use it at a time when it would be most useful, for example, saving movie passes for a day when its raining and there’s nothing else to do. I think the rainy day part could be figurative too, as in putting aside a small lottery winning to use when bills are due and you might otherwise be overwhelmed. I’m surprised it doesn’t explain the literal meaning of rainy day, unless the dictionary writers thought it was too obvious. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-english-question/140451/9 "2002-12-04T16:22:25Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m surprised it doesn’t explain the literal meaning of rainy day, unless the dictionary writers thought it was too obvious. The literal meaning would be found by looking up the words separately, no?