English
Phrase
the devil's beating his wife
- (Southern US) Said when it rains while the sun is shining; that is, when a sun shower occurs.
- Synonyms: devil is kissing his wife, devil is beating his wife and marrying his daughter
Usage notes
- The word devil may be capitalized, and the definite article may be included (the Devil is beating...) or omitted (devil's beating...).
Translations
interjection uttered when it rains while the sun is shining
— see also sun shower
- Afrikaans: jakkals trou met wolf se vrou (af) (literally “jackal is marrying wolf's wife”)
- Catalan: lo diable tupa la dona (literally “the Devil is beating his wife”) (Mallorca), plou i fa sol, les bruixes es pentinen (literally “it rains and the sun shines, the witches are combing themselves”)
- Dutch: het is kermis in de hel (literally “it is a fair in hell”)
- Finnish: ketut kylpevät (literally “the foxes are bathing”), hiiret viettää häitä (literally “the mice are having a wedding”)
- French: le diable bat sa femme et marie sa fille (fr) (literally “the Devil is beating his wife and marrying his daughter”)
- German: Frau Holle hat Kirmes (literally “Mother Holle is having a fair”)
- Hungarian: veri az ördög a feleségét (literally “the devil is beating his wife”)
- Kurdish:
- Northern Kurdish: eyda guran e (literally “the wolves are celebrating”), daweta gur û rovî (ku) (literally “wedding of a wolf and a fox”)
- Portuguese: sol e chuva casamento de viúva (literally “sun and rain widow's wedding”), chuva e sol casamento de espanhol (literally “rain and sun Spaniard's wedding”)
- Russian: царевна плачет (carevna plačet, literally “A princess is crying”)
- Spanish: está pariendo la venada (literally “the doe is giving birth”)
- Tagalog: may kasal ng tikbalang (literally “the werehorses are wedding”)
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See also