The weather is changing in Kinmen. Winter is turning into spring. It's been raining a little more, and the days are getting warmer. Now is a great time to learn English idioms about weather.
One of the most famous English weather idioms is, "It's raining cats and dogs." "To rain cats and dogs" means to rain very heavily (下場傾盆大雨). But native English speakers don't use this phrase very often in everyday conversation. A much more common phrase is "It's pouring."
"To pour" literally means to remove water from a container by turning it over (逐字翻譯：把盆裡的水倒掉). But "pour" also refers to heavy rain. An English speaker might say, "Don't forget your umbrella! It's pouring outside."
The word "rain" is sometimes included in the sentence, but it's not necessary. For example, you might say, "I don't want to walk home. It's pouring rain." You may also say, "I don't want to walk home. It's pouring." The two sentences mean the same thing-that it's raining very heavily.
When the weather is getting hotter, a common English idiom is "the mercury is rising." This phrase refers to the mercury (水銀、汞) in thermometers (溫度計). When the temperature rises, the mercury in the thermometer also rises. So if someone says the mercury is rising, this means the temperature is rising.
"The mercury is rising" isn't common in everyday conversation, but it's very common in weather reports on the TV news. A weather reporter may say, "Make sure your air conditioning is working, folks. The mercury is rising outside."
With the weather changing, you might catch a cold. If you're feeling a little bit sick or tired, you can say that you're feeling "under the weather" (有點不舒服). This phrase doesn't refer to the weather itself. Instead, it refers to a person's health. For example, "Katie hasn't been at work recently. She's been feeling a little under the weather."
With the weather changing and the mercury rising, I hope that these phrases are useful to those learning English and that you don't fell under the weather.