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What Does “Right as Rain” Mean? When Should We Use It?

What Does “Right as Rain” Mean? When Should We Use It?

The British have contributed significantly to the English language. Their contributions were or are not just in the form of words but also as phrases/idioms. However, not all of the expressions they introduced are self-explanatory or easy to understand, like the phrase “right as rain”.

The idiom “right as rain” means “correct”, “in perfect condition”, etc. When referring to a human, the phrase means “hale and hearty”, as the term is typically used to give hope to an ill or injured person. When denoting a thing or process, it means “good condition” or “back to its original state”.

“Right as rain” can be complex and confusing as it’s not the only phrase to start with the word “right”. Keep reading to learn more about the term’s meaning, why it’s phrased the way it is, expressions similar in purpose and form to it, how the idiom gets incorporated into texts, and lots more.

right as rain bunch of people

“Right as Rain” – Definition

“Right as rain”, as mentioned above, means “in great condition or health” or “perfectly working order”. The thing that’s referred to or regarded as in “excellent condition” could be a living or non-living thing. A process that’s “right as rain” is “flowing smoothly”. Words synonymous or close to the phrase in meaning include “perfect”, “proper”, “correct”, “flawless”, etc.

Origin of the Phrase

Expressions that start with “right” have been around since medieval times. They always denoted something being “safe”, “satisfactory”, “comfortable”, or “secure”.

The term “right” was first used in a catchphrase during the 16th century as “right as a line”. In the phrase, “right” could have implied “straightness”. Not to mention, there’s a symbolic meaning of being “acceptable” or “correct”.

An even older use of “right” in a phrase is “right as an adamant”. It dates back to circa 1400 in a book called “Romance of the Rose”. The term “adamant” in the phrase denotes “like a magnet or lodestone”.

Like most phrases that begin with “right”, “right as rain” too has its origins in Britain. “Rainy weather” in England is quite typical. However, it’s not clear who was the Englishman or Englishwoman to coin the phrase.

Why is it Right as “Rain”?

The idiom “right as rain” is kind of tricky, especially when you consider “rain” isn’t the most “perfect” or “correct” thing ever. Flood victims or places where it rains heavily or continually would second that.

The term “rain” used in the phrase could have been “clouds”, as in “right as clouds”. “Rain”, however, got incorporated, or it works due to “alliteration”. But there is a more logical or deep-seated reason behind its use in the phrase than just alliteration.

When looked at subjectively, “rain” is essential for a variety of things. It matters if you’re looking for a perfect harvest. In other words, if not for rain, there won’t be freshwater to grow grains such as wheat and rice. And without those ingredients, the various rice dishes, pizzas, and pastas of the world would not have been a thing – at least not in the form or tasted as they do currently.

Water is also not just critical for agriculture; it’s vital for life on earth in general. Without water, there won’t be cows, milk, butter, cheese, other dairy products made from milk, etc. Those who grew up in farming regions believed there was something correct or “right” about rain. Not to mention, the human body is predominantly water.

The meanings of phrases that are centuries old evolve or change most. In the case of “right as rain”, the idiom originally meant “straight” as rain poured down in a straight line. Over a period of use, it was incorporated into texts to represent “correct”, “perfect”, etc.

in the pink healthy

Phrases Similar to “Right as Rain”

The first reported use of the phrase goes back to 1894, when the term showed up in print. The first documented instance comes from a few years later, in 1909, in a book called Yet Again by Max Beerbohm. However, as mentioned above, the phrase isn’t the only expression to start with the word “right”.

There are quite a few other idioms or expressions that use the word, which came much before “right as rain”, including:

  • Right as nails (means “precisely correct”)
  • Right as a book
  • Right as a line
  • Right as a trivet (means “perfectly all right”)
  • Right as a gun (“Prophetess”, 1622)
  • Right as my leg (“Gargantua and Pantagruel”,17th century)

Not all of the above phrases are in use currently. Most of these go back as far as the 15th century, with more than a handful dying a slow death. The ones that have lived long enough and still in use mean the same thing as “right as rain”. However, “right as rain” is the only idiom to have “monosyllabic alliteration”.

Another idiom, though not beginning with “right”, that is quite similar in meaning to “right as rain” is “gas and gaiters”, which means “a pleasant or favorable state” or “everything is right”.

Phrases that start with “right” but do not necessarily mean the same thing as “right and rain” are “right and left”, “right about face”, “right away”, “right ascension”, etc. Barring a few, most do not have that pleasing alliteration or sound to the words “right and rain” can boast of.

More Great Idioms

Using “Right as Rain” in Your Writing

“Right as rain” is not particularly a commonly used phrase. Therefore, you may not come across it in texts as often as you might see quite a few other idioms.

As mentioned above, it could be used in relation to living and non-living beings. When used in reference to an individual, it’s usually to indicate the health of a person who’s recuperating from an accident or minor illness. For example:

  • The doctor has prescribed him medicines for the next two days. He should be right as rain after that.
  • Just make sure you give her the medicines on time, and the next morning she’ll be right as rain.
  • Get some rest and fresh air, and you’ll be feeling right as rain pretty soon again.

The phrase could also be used to describe situations that have “turned out okay” or “have been sorted out”.

Also, “right as rain” could be at times immediately preceded with “as”, as in “as right as rain”. The usage, however, is not common – certainly not widespread enough to make “as right as rain” the standard expression.

The Debate Over the Meaning of “Right as Rain”

Using “right as rain” to denote “in perfect shape” or “correct shape” is debatable, at least according to some writers. They believe the phrase doesn’t make much sense to signify “proper shape”. The saying “right as a trivet” instead is a more fitting expression since the word “trivet” denotes a tripod that can be made to stand firm.

But then “right as rain” continues to denote “correct” or “in great shape”, and using the phrase in your texts to mean the same will not be considered solecism.

If, however, you don’t want to take sides or not use either “right as rain” or “right as a trivet” in your texts to denote something that’s “perfect” or will soon become “alright”, use any of the synonyms mentioned above instead.

Example Sentences with “Right as Rain”

Incorporating “right as rain” into texts is not that tricky. Here are example sentences integrating the phrase seamlessly:

  • After a couple of days, you should be right as rain.
  • Put in a new battery in the toy, and it shall be right as rain again.
  • Two months post the accident, she was right as rain again.
  • We’ll see if your guesses are right as rain or they go bust.
  • The newspaper’s editorials were right as rain with their coverage of the issue.
  • After her cancer surgery, she said she was feeling right as rain.
  • He was quite ill the last week, but he is right as rain and ready to roll now.
  • You just need to work for another month for everything to be right as rain.
  • You’ll be right as rain after you meet her.
  • After he stopped the recording session and hugged her, she was right as rain once again.
  • My foot is broken. Once the cast is off, I would be right as rain.
  • The project will be right as rain only if the servers cooperate or stay online throughout.
  • We bandaged his knee. It can be taken off after a week, and he’ll be right as rain after that.
  • She had a host of challenges to encounter in school. However, she studied hard, and before graduation, everything was in place or right as rain.

hale and hearty sign

Conclusion

Idioms are phrases or a set of words that can describe emotion quickly and a lot more effectively than words carrying a literal meaning. But unlike words with straightforward connotations, idiomatic expressions can be a bit tricky to discern. Some may even require decoding.

“Right as rain” is one such phrase that’s hard to comprehend at first. But once you dig deeper and learn more about its meaning and background, you realize its significance. This article hopefully did justice to the phrase and contributed to making it a lot more familiar than it already is.