Look at these two phrases from yesterday's lesson. Are they correct?
- save something for the rainy day
- save something for rainy days
The answer is no. Both phrases contain a mistake.
The correct form is this: save (something) for a rainy day
If you use an idiom, you need to get it exactly right. Even a small mistake in an idiomatic expression makes it sound strange and completely wrong.
thanks a lot simon.
Posted by: sara | Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 11:23
It seems "something for the rainy day" may be an American aberration which cropped up in a few American publications in the first half of the twentieth century.
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=save+something+for+rainy+days%2Csomething+for+the+rainy+day%3Aeng_us_2012%2C+something+for+the+rainy+day%3Aeng_gb_2012%2C+&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Csomething%20for%20the%20rainy%20day%3Aeng_us_2012%3B%2Cc0
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=Ui1CAQAAIAAJ&q=%22save+something+for+the+rainy+day%22&dq=%22save+something+for+the+rainy+day%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwitirGAj-zbAhVS_GEKHV-CDOAQ6AEITTAI
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=v7cqAAAAMAAJ&q=%22save+something+for+the+rainy+day%22&dq=%22save+something+for+the+rainy+day%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwitirGAj-zbAhVS_GEKHV-CDOAQ6AEISTAH
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=yHgXAQAAMAAJ&q=%22something+for+the+rainy+day%22&dq=%22something+for+the+rainy+day%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjc4oq5juzbAhVDzmEKHeA7D0AQ6AEILzAC
Posted by: Kata | Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 11:57
Hi Simon and everyone here,
I'd like to add something interesting here,.. You know there's a similarity among all different cultures around the world,, as in our local tradition(in Libya), we say:
"Save your white penny for a black day"..
This saying induces us to set some money aside for bad circumstances likely to happen!!
Thank you for this lesson!!
Ali M.
Posted by: Ali M | Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 13:02
Sir, thanks for correction.
Posted by: Ameet | Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 14:57
The most common versions of this idiom are:
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=*+away+for+a+rainy&year_start=1870&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2C%2A%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bput%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bsomething%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmoney%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bit%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Blaid%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bhim%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Btucked%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bbit%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bstored%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Blittle%20away%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=*+saving+for+a+rainy%2C+*+save+for+a+rainy&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2C%2A%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bof%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bbeen%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Band%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Babout%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bin%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bare%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bwas%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bnot%20saving%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B.t2%3B%2C%2A%20save%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bto%20save%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bnot%20save%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Band%20save%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bshould%20save%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bor%20save%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=*+aside+for+a+rainy&year_start=1870&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2C%2A%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bsomething%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bput%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bset%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Blaid%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bmoney%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bit%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Banything%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Blittle%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bputting%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bsome%20aside%20for%20a%20rainy%3B%2Cc0
Posted by: Kata | Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 21:38
Ali M
Although "for a black day" is also the idiom in some Slavonic languages, other European languages are more mundane and just talk about "against hard times". Rainy days seem to be bad news in England but would be good news in some dry or desert countries.
Posted by: Kata | Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 21:57
Where There's a will There's a way, should I need to use Capital "T".
Posted by: Lewis | Monday, June 25, 2018 at 07:30
@ Lewis
Not necessarily:
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=2810DQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22where+there%27s+a+will+there%27s+a+way%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNld7uk_DbAhWLdd4KHfACCGc4KBC7BQhUMAg#v=onepage&q=%22where%20there's%20a%20&f=false
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=XxC9DgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22where+there%27s+a+will+there%27s+a+way%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFnIrtkvDbAhWNQd4KHf5WDGw4HhC7BQhIMAU#v=onepage&q=%22where%20there's%20a%20will&f=false
Posted by: Kata | Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 02:20