Feeling 'Under the Weather'?
2020-05-31
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program, we explore words and phrases in American English.
3We teach you how to use them in different situations.
4And sometimes we explain where these terms come from.
5Today, we talk about feeling sick.
6We have all felt sick at some point in our lives.
7And our condition can go from one extreme to the other.
8If I am very sick, you could say I am as sick as a dog.
9Other times I may feel good enough to go to work, but still not great.
10When I feel tired, worn out or just a little sick, I can say I am feeling under the weather.
11This is probably the simplest, most common way to say, "I don't feel well."
12In fact, I could not think of another phrase that expresses the same meaning as well as "under the weather" does.
13When you are under the weather, your condition is not serious.
14You do not need to be in a hospital or see a doctor.
15Some word experts say that "under the weather" also can mean feeling drunk or having a hangover.
16You have too much alcohol to drink one night and the next day, you feel sick.
17However, I have never heard the idiom used this way.
18So, I asked several native English speakers, and not one said they use "under the weather" to mean hungover or drunk.
19When I hear someone say they are under the weather, I imagine they are not feeling well, but nothing else.
20Use it anytime!
21On this program, I hardly ever use the word "always," but it is always acceptable to use this expression when speaking with others.
22Feel free to tell your co-workers, your best friend or even your 90-year-old grandmother that you are "under the weather."
23We will give more examples after we learn where this expression comes from. So don't go away!
24Now, bad weather can affect your health.
25For example, if I'm caught in a cold rainstorm for several hours without proper protection, I very possibly will get sick.
26But why do we say under the weather when we're sick? That just sounds strange.
27To find out, I turned to a publication called Farmers' Almanac.
28Farmers' Almanac is not really meant for language learners.
29It was founded in 1818 to help American farmers understand more about the natural world around them as they grow and harvest their crops.
30That is still its purpose today.
31The Farmer's Almanac website tells about all things weather-related - from average snowfall totals to phases of the moon to advice for fishing on a rainy day.
32So, if an idiom is weather-related, it probably will be explained in the Farmer's Almanac!
33To explain, "under the weather," the website published the writing of Richard Lederer, a word expert.
34Lederer notes that the expression "under the weather" comes from the language of sailors.
35Imagine being on a boat on rough seas.
36 The waves continually force the boat up and down and side to side.
37This continual movement can make many people feel seasick.
38He writes that "on the high seas when the wind would start to blow hard and the waves became rough, crewmen and travelers would go below deck."
39They actually went "under the weather" to find safety, shelter and to avoid becoming seasick.
40Years ago, only sailors described seasick sailors as being "under the weather."
41But today, we use this expression anytime someone is not feeling well.
42Now, let me use this phrase in a few sentences.
43I just can't go out tonight. I am feeling under the weather.
44But thanks for the invite.
45After standing outside in the cold rain waiting to buy concert tickets, the young woman awoke the next day feeling under the weather.
46If you feel under the weather, you should really go home and rest.
47And that is all the time we have this week for Words and Their Stories! Join us again next time when we explore another word or expression in American English.
48Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program, we explore words and phrases in American English. We teach you how to use them in different situations. And sometimes we explain where these terms come from. 3Today, we talk about feeling sick. We have all felt sick at some point in our lives. And our condition can go from one extreme to the other. If I am very sick, you could say I am as sick as a dog. Other times I may feel good enough to go to work, but still not great. 4When I feel tired, worn out or just a little sick, I can say I am feeling under the weather. 5This is probably the simplest, most common way to say, "I don't feel well." In fact, I could not think of another phrase that expresses the same meaning as well as "under the weather" does. 6When you are under the weather, your condition is not serious. You do not need to be in a hospital or see a doctor. 7Some word experts say that "under the weather" also can mean feeling drunk or having a hangover. You have too much alcohol to drink one night and the next day, you feel sick. 8However, I have never heard the idiom used this way. So, I asked several native English speakers, and not one said they use "under the weather" to mean hungover or drunk. When I hear someone say they are under the weather, I imagine they are not feeling well, but nothing else. 9Use it anytime! 10On this program, I hardly ever use the word "always," but it is always acceptable to use this expression when speaking with others. Feel free to tell your co-workers, your best friend or even your 90-year-old grandmother that you are "under the weather." 11We will give more examples after we learn where this expression comes from. So don't go away! 12Origin 13Now, bad weather can affect your health. For example, if I'm caught in a cold rainstorm for several hours without proper protection, I very possibly will get sick. But why do we say under the weather when we're sick? That just sounds strange. 14To find out, I turned to a publication called Farmers' Almanac. Farmers' Almanac is not really meant for language learners. It was founded in 1818 to help American farmers understand more about the natural world around them as they grow and harvest their crops. That is still its purpose today. 15The Farmer's Almanac website tells about all things weather-related - from average snowfall totals to phases of the moon to advice for fishing on a rainy day. So, if an idiom is weather-related, it probably will be explained in the Farmer's Almanac! 16To explain, "under the weather," the website published the writing of Richard Lederer, a word expert. Lederer notes that the expression "under the weather" comes from the language of sailors. 17Imagine being on a boat on rough seas. The waves continually force the boat up and down and side to side. This continual movement can make many people feel seasick. 18He writes that "on the high seas when the wind would start to blow hard and the waves became rough, crewmen and travelers would go below deck." They actually went "under the weather" to find safety, shelter and to avoid becoming seasick. 19Years ago, only sailors described seasick sailors as being "under the weather." But today, we use this expression anytime someone is not feeling well. 20Now, let me use this phrase in a few sentences. 21I just can't go out tonight. I am feeling under the weather. But thanks for the invite. 22After standing outside in the cold rain waiting to buy concert tickets, the young woman awoke the next day feeling under the weather. 23If you feel under the weather, you should really go home and rest. 24And that is all the time we have this week for Words and Their Stories! Join us again next time when we explore another word or expression in American English. 25Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 26Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. The song at the end is KT Tunstall singing "Under the Weather." 27________________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29drunk - adj. a period of time when someone drinks too much alcohol 30hungover - adj. disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs 31idiom - n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own 32wave - n. an area of moving water that is raised above the main surface of an ocean, a lake, etc 33deck - n. a flat surface that forms the main outside floor of a boat or ship 34concert - n. a public performance (as of music or dancing) 35ticket - n. a piece of paper that allows you to see a show, participate in an event, travel on a vehicle, etc.