Please
explain to me the meaning of the idiom 'under the weather'
and its origin.
What do we mean when we say:
John is under the weather today. This is why he has not come to
work.
When I first heard it, I thought it had something to do with the
weather in terms of being hot or cold. But a friend of mine told
me that was not correct.
If
you are under the weather - and this is a very common expression
- then you are slightly unwell.
In England, as I'm sure you know, we have lots of bad weather that
people are always complaining about: lots of rain, lots of wind
and lots of cloudy days when don't see the sun. This can be very
depressing, so it is as if you are affected by the weather.
We have a large number of idiomatic expressions to describe
various stages of health and illness. Some of the
most common are listed below, starting with those which describe
excellent health (+ + +) and finishing with those which describe
someone who is critically ill (- - -).
as fit as a fiddle(+ + +)
A fiddle
is a violin, particularly one used in folk music. To be played
well it has to be finely tuned so that the violinist can
play well.
fighting fit(+ + +)
If you are fighting fit, you are at the peak of your physical
and mental form, almost as if you could fight a boxing match.
You
need to be as fit as a fiddle / fighting fit to
stand any chance of winning the London marathon.
in
good shape (+ +) if you are in good shape, you are able to do a lot of
physical activity without getting tired.
I
think I'm in fairly good shape and should be able to swim
100 metres round the coast to the next bay and back.
above
par (+) / below par (-) Feeling above par or below par means that you
are feeling a little bit better than normal or a little bit worse
than normal.
How
are you today? ~ Oh, a bit above par now. I've had some
sleep and I feel better.
so so (-) / off colour(-)
feeling slightly unwell
How's
Kevin? ~ Oh, only so so. He should really get some sleep,
then he'll feel better.
Sally
won't be at the meeting this afternoon, I'm afraid. She's gone
home. ~ I'm not surprised. She was looking a bit off colour
/ under the weather / under par
in
poor shape (--) being quite ill
He's
in fairly poor shape. I don't think he'll be able to walk
from the car into the church without some form of assistance.
in
a bad way/at death's door(---)
you are on the point of dying.
I
hear Dr Dyer is at death's door. ~ Yes, that's true. He's
in a very bad way. The doctor doesn't think he'll live.
