it never rains but it pours
/ɪt ˌnevə ˈreɪnz bət ɪt ˈpɔːz/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
bad things tend to happen all at the same time
Examples
- 1First the boiler broke, then the car failed its MOT — it never rains but it pours.
- 2Aisha sprained her ankle the week her exams started and then caught flu: it never rains but it pours.
- 3My flight was delayed, my bag went missing and now the hotel has lost my booking — it never rains but it pours!
- 4Why is it that it never rains but it pours? Every bill seems to arrive in the same week.
- 5When the captain and the coach both left in the same week, the fans agreed that it never rains but it pours.
Grammar
A fixed saying, used as a complete clause. Both verbs stay in the present simple: rains, pours. American English says when it rains, it pours.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about weather
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →blow hot and coldto keep changing your attitude towards somethingmake heavy weather ofto treat an easy task as more difficult than it isa fair-weather friendsomeone who is loyal only when things are going wellin the cold light of daylater, when you can think about something calmlyunder the weatherfeeling slightly illbreak the iceto help people who have just met feel more relaxed
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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