The origin of the phrase "downpour" is also unknown. The recorded usage first appeared in the book Polite Conversation written by jonathan swift, which was written about 1708, and was not published until 30 years later. Swift's works satirize some cliches, so the above phrases have been used in Swift's writing for a long time.

Rosen pointed out that there is an earlier variant of this phrase, "rain dog and cat with a shoulder pole", ("get off the dog and chicken mink"), which comes from Richard Boromi's "1652 city quip". Views on this origin include:

Catdoupe in old French means waterfall or great waterfall.

Lightning is similar to the sound of cats and dogs fighting.

In northern mythology, cats have an influence on the weather. In addition, Odin, the god of the storm, is taken care of by dogs and wolves.

The above statement quoted by Boromi is impossible, because "polar cat" and "cat" are opposites in the varieties of old English, and it is impossible to say that they were handed down from the cat doupe. Similarly, because PoleCats are not cats, they are animals like weasels or skunks. As for the significance of the specific mysterious characteristics of cats, it is also impossible.

There is also a saying that in ancient London, FAW in Wang Yang often drowned many lost dogs and cats after a downpour. So, the rain stopped, the water receded, and all the cats and dogs in the street died. It seems that many cats and dogs fell from the sky. This statement sounds like rhetoric, but the early use of the phrase Polecats makes it impossible.

Therefore, there is still no satisfactory explanation about the mystery of this phrase.